It's Fall Reading Week, and your feeds on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. should be filled with posts about relaxing, catching up with friends, and getting ready for the final push of the semester - and yet today that's likely not what you're seeing. Despite the fact that we're here in Canada, your social media and news feeds are likely a lot like mine - overtaken by posts that reveal feelings of anxiety. In response to that, my first instinct was to publish a post of "cute animal photos" today. But let's be honest, BuzzFeed will find far cuter photos, so I'm going to leave that to them.
Instead, I'd like to encourage you to step back and approach what you’re seeing (and maybe even feeling) in the same way that you would embrace the spirit of Reading Week. Reading Week is all about taking a breather. It's about reflecting on how you're doing and practising some self-care; catching up on sleep, and pausing to refocus so that you can move forward. It’s a moment in time when you can both accept and offer connections of support to those around you.
And that might be the key to all of this: support. Seek it. Offer it. Encourage conversation, and listen to those around you. Talk things out. Anxiety is anxiety is anxiety - and acknowledging it and asking for help to deal with it is always positive. The same goes for burn out - and the idea that people are burnt out right now seems like a tremendous understatement - it's okay to admit that you need a break and it's okay to take it.
So that's what I'd like to encourage you to do - embrace your break! The second half of the semester is going to provide you with an opportunity to move forward, and for those wrapped up with recent world events, know that things will move forward too... eventually. And just for the heck, go ahead - find a little solace in a cute animal photo or two. It is Reading Week after all, and you deserve a short distraction.
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