A Day Off to Be Me Again

It has been a while since I posted here. Exam week was hectic, to say the least—not just because of the exams, but also because I kept falling sick on and off. The illness stretched beyond exam week, but finally, I’m back. Even though I didn’t write anything during that time, ideas kept coming to me as I prepared for my papers. While reading some of the prescribed essays in my Critical Theory course, I discovered a faint thread of connection between the concepts discussed there and my own UG project. You could even say it made me a little excited about studying for this paper.

Another idea for a blog post was a book review. After putting it off for way too long, I finally borrowed a book from the library—something outside the course syllabus (Click here to read a related post on reading inside and outside the syllabus). Imagine my surprise when I walked in and immediately found the very book I had been craving to read for so long. Ever since one of my favourite professors from my UG college recommended it in a reel, I’ve been keeping an eye out for it everywhere. One of my hesitations about visiting the library was my sinus allergy; browsing through dusty bookshelves usually left me sneezing for an entire day. But, by God’s grace, my book was waiting for me right on the first shelf.

The next idea had to do with graphology. My handwriting—or rather, handwritings—has always puzzled me and my friends. Claiming that my notes look like they were written by a different person each day wouldn’t seem far-fetched if you saw them. Discussing this with ChatGPT turned out to be an interesting experience, and I plan to share the insights in a future post once I’ve read more on the subject.

Coming back to the theme of this post: wanting a day to myself is one of the fundamental needs of introverts—or maybe of all of us, in a sense. The past two weeks have been a rollercoaster of exam stress, outings, illness, and mood swings. The excess stimulation forced me to fold into myself and choose silence to reset. As always, God granted me a day off to fall back on my productive-yet-comforting routine.

My routine helps me reconnect with myself and reflect on the changes that recent experiences have left on my personality. It’s like organizing and updating my inner life, weaving together the old and new fragments of myself into a rough whole. Having a day to plan as I wish gives me the sense of control I need to stay steady. A quiet morning with herbal tea, sketching out the day ahead, brings me joy like nothing else. Even just catching up on pending tasks eased a lot of my stress.

As much as I enjoy the company of friends, I am an introvert and a homebody. I need to step out of the flow to recharge before I can step back in. And I’m glad I gave myself that day.