Taking some time for yourself: My Sem one getaway

Ever since I moved to Auckland I have grown in my independence, not just from a coming of age perspective of having to do most things ‘for myself’, more so, doing things ‘by my myself’. I am a lover of food and coffee so I began exploring what it was like to go to Cafes and Restaurants by myself, something that was actually quite daunting at first. I went through many awkward stages of getting used to doing things on my own that I guess society would deem to be social activities, going to a cafe for coffee evolved into comfortably going out for brunch with the hottest bachelor in town, moi. I even sat at a bar for a few hours enjoying some drinks whilst getting to know the bar staff. Still haven’t managed a restaurant dinner but baby steps.

During semester one I realised that I was becoming worn down. Living and working in a hall on top of the different things I get up to mean that I am constantly surrounded by people, don’t get me wrong, I love socialising and being in the presence of others. If you were to review my unofficial Myer Briggs test, you would see that I am somewhere between 92% – 96% extroverted. How true this is I am unsure but, something that only became clear to me recently was regardless of where I sat in that 90s range of extrovertedness, there would be an inkling of introvertedness always present. I understood after living in a hall of 500 odd students on campus, going to uni and working with AUSA (more people), that my inner 4% – 8% introvert was screaming out for some screen time.

SO, I did something that I had been wanting to try and do for a while, go on holiday with myself. I am not talking about like a Contiki style go to a place and meet all these amazing new people. I wanted to be left alone, talk to as few as possible, and just be. One night after talking about it with some friends I bit the bullet and started to look on AirBnb, I found this nice room in someone’s house near the beach in Mount Maunganui and just went for it. I planned the time around the final weeks of exams as I had all my exams and assignments due at the end and thought it was prime time to have a quick break before things really picked up for myself.

I was hesitant about going, even after booking it I knew I could cancel up to 48 hours prior and get my money back. I think the more I thought about what I would do when there was playing on my mind, obviously the ‘being alone’ factor. After moving past all hesitant thoughts I got myself up on the Friday morning and headed to my bus set for Tauranga. I can say that I am definitely glad I did it. Not necessarily for the fact that I got anything special out of it, but more for the realisation that I know that I can do it again and it will be a little bit easier. I was able to take some study and just chill out for a few days in the comfort of my own company. I think the thing I was most glad about is that I got to take a bath, something that honestly helps me relax.

Now I am not telling you that when the going gets tough, take the first bus out of Auckland. I think what this teaches is that we all need to find what is our form of ‘self care’. An easy, small thing that I like to do quite often either alone or with some of my fellow RA’s is facemasks with some cheese and crackers, just something that gets us not thinking about that assignment coming up for the next test. I think now that we are about to head into our final quarter and into the end of year exams, taking time to think and put into action selfcare regimes is important. My holiday for one was one big thing that if I prioritised financially then I could do somewhat regularly. For me, it was a solution for my current circumstances, I feel like I am under similar strains presently yet I don’t feel the desire to getaway quite like that, but maybe I will sometime in the future. I am open to the possibility and if I feel that I need it, I will do it. I would encourage everyone to have the same mindset.

Hakuna Matata