Let’s talk about something that’s been on my mind lately. The year has just started, and we have set several resolutions and goals for ourselves. We set these to help us manifest and take control of our lives. But have you had that feeling where it seems like you’re a passenger in your own life, on this big race where everyone is fighting to keep up, and time is running out? It’s ridiculous, but that’s the reality we live in. I’ve been there, and I’m wearing the shirt I got to prove it.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took a break and allowed life to happen? Yikes, I know, disaster. But really, what if you sat down and took it all in?

People are constantly running and chasing after something. The world we live in has created this culture of urgency and the need to be in motion. We create vision boards, goals, and resolutions that keep us in a state of action when in actuality, what this should be doing is making us take note of what we are doing and accomplishing. We fail to be present and take in everything we are doing in the moment because we are chasing a deadline; we are reading ahead for a lecture or researching an assignment. We even fail at having fun because we are caught up in trying to take the perfect picture and curate the perfect Instagram feed. This relentless running affects our mental and emotional health as much as it does our physical well-being.

Why won’t you just take a break? I’m not saying we should all drop everything and become professional yogis and hipsters loving up on nature (although, if that’s your thing, kudos?), but what if the real magic happens when we slow down?

I asked a couple of people on campus and from my community just how they take time out from the hustle and bustle of reality to prioritise themselves and their health to prove that it is possible.

This is what they said:
Zakhe, 20, finds peace and balance in fitness and taking care of his health. He’s at the gym when he is not attending classes during the day. He tells me he recently tried yoga after seeing some TikTok videos. “Yoga has taught me the importance of being still and how powerful actually breathing can be,” he says. “I enjoy lifting weights and working out, but sometimes it does me a great deal of good to just sit in one position and be alone with myself and my thoughts. Meditation does that for me.”

Meditating and breathing have many health benefits, like lowering your blood pressure, increasing your energy, and calming you.

I mentioned to Lunathi, 16, that while it yields good results to have high school students take extra lessons at school from Monday to Sunday, during class and after school, it is also important to prioritise their health and give them a chance to rest. Luna says, “My teachers told me that grade 11 is a lot harder than matric since most of what we learn in matric is basically catching up. This is why I am working harder now, so that next year, I won’t have to read ahead.” Sure, the marks are commendable and a reason to work hard, but what will the marks mean when the body is all burned out, especially to someone as young as 16?

Siseko, 27, is a friend who has mastered the art of unplugging from both the pressures of real life and the online spaces. He reiterates Zakhe’s point about being alone with oneself by saying, “Taking breaks helps me get back to who I am and what really matters to me.” Having been on social media for as long as we can remember, it becomes so easy to lose ourselves because we are constantly engaged and following everything as it happens in real time. “Sometimes, we need to take ourselves out of the distraction and focus on the present.”

Being present and not living for the views and the algorithm is also key to escaping the need to constantly do something. Sometimes you just need to disappear from the Matrix.

What changes could you make in your daily routine to ensure you’re prioritising your well-being and staying present, amidst the hustle of your goals and the digital world’s demands?