Each year, I am constantly amazed by how easy it is for me to fall into the trap of staying within the Tufts bubble. It’s so easy to spend all day in Tisch or on the Prez Lawn or at the Campus Center, forgetting that there is an actual world outside of my existence at college. Living off campus has helped a little, but considering that my house is located about two minutes from Fletcher Field, it doesn’t exactly feel like I’m off campus at all.
Not that the Tufts bubble isn’t great — there is always something going on or someone to talk to, and it’s nice to be surrounded by peers and dining halls and places to study. It feels good to be on campus — it’s natural and comfortable and you have pretty much everything you need right at your fingertips.
This past weekend, I spent a lot of time not at Tufts, and it reminded me how important taking a step away from campus can be. It’s so easy to get stuck in the same old routine — wake up, go to the gym, go to Tisch, go to class, go to Dewick, go to the Campus Center — whatever it may be, I sometimes feel like I’m drowning in college all the time. When I’m on campus, I feel like I should be doing something, especially work.
Why is it that college students constantly feel the need to be busy all the time? Maybe it’s just a Tufts thing, but I’ve found that I, along with many people I know, constantly feel pressured to be over-extended and stretched thin with extracurricular activities and schoolwork. It’s as if, in a strange and twisted way, we crave the pressure and the exhaustion overworking ourselves brings. Getting off campus this weekend made me realize that there is no need to be engulfed by my “Tufts life” every single second.
But it’s okay to not do work every once in a while. It’s ok to not want to go to this event, or that party or get coffee at The Rez all the time. The world is a lot bigger than Tufts, and it can be helpful to step outside the bubble sometimes and remember that — in fact, I think it’s healthy and important to do so. Taking some "me time" away from the chaos and just sitting with my own thoughts is a good way to remind myself to slow down, take a deep breath and remember that there is a lot more to life than what’s going on at Tufts.
Get outside the bubble sometime. You’ll be surprised at what you find.
Jumping Hurdles: Outside the bubble
