February 2021
I had a friend in undergrad that would always ask people the same question when conversation lulled: “What’s one thing you loved doing as a kid and don’t do anymore, but wish you did?”
Let’s be real.
As graduate students, we are learning how to create. How to innovate. We put forth into the world new ideas, new methods, new data and new findings. We are constantly pushing ourselves to do more and to think outside the box and to put something into the world that was not there before. It’s exhilarating and wonderful to be a part of that, but it is also very draining. We’ve let a lot of our personal interests fall to the wayside as our priorities shift to accomplish this great task before us.
When we were young, a lot of us spent time playing, building, reading, painting. Body slamming our siblings. We went to school, did a little homework, and RUSHED to do these other activities, eager for recreation time. It was essential to a standard childhood day. I know not everyone’s childhoods were lighthearted and happy, but maybe you can relate at least a little to the carefree commitment to whatever your interest was at the time. For me, it was reading, drawing, and exploring the woods near my house.
Sometimes I even wrote poetry about my explorations, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Now, when I come home from the lab after a full day of thinking and trying to create something new, I might hit the gym or take a walk. Most often, I want to sit and let my brain wander as I scroll through Instagram or watch an episode (or 2, or 5) of whatever new show hits Netflix. It’s easy to do and it feels like rest, but when I lay my head down to sleep, my brain feels overwhelmed. Maybe vegging out after a long day isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
I think there’s a reason that fun, relaxing, and usually not-for-profit activities are called recreation. We hear “recreation” and maybe think of intramural sports or kayaking or hiking. If we simply look at the word itself and break it down though, it’s simple. Re-create. We spend our working lives creating other things, but when was the last time you made space to re-create your inner self? And I’m not talking about reinventing who you are as a person, but rather replenishing the storeroom so you’ll have just as much to offer in a few days, or weeks. What I’m really asking you is, “What’s one thing you loved doing as a kid and don’t do anymore, but wish you did?”
For me, it was reading for fun. When I was young, I loved reading fantasy novels about epic adventures but decided that I needed to let that go to be successful in college. I kicked one of my favorite activities aside in order to be successful (and let’s be honest, that’s okay for a season!). When I realized I was going to grad school and wanted to stay in academia, however, I realized that I no longer wanted to keep pleasure reading on the back burner. I couldn’t just put “me” on hold while I worked towards one degree after another; where’s the joy in that? I started reading again. Sometimes voraciously, sometimes only a handful of pages at the end of the day before I doze off.
In the twists and turns of an epic adventure in an imaginary land, I found a piece of myself that had been slumbering. Where watching Netflix let me sit back and watch something else happen, reading beautifully written stories forced my mind to wander foreign lands, create new faces and imagine fantastic things. I took an active part in experiencing the story, and I could feel new life within me after I put the book down. When passively watching TV or scrolling through Instagram left me feeling emptier and more drained than before, reading for fun even for a few moments produced something new in me and left me feeling content and filled up.
What makes you feel this way? What makes you feel rested and content and full? Do you love reading too? Going on walks? Lifting at the gym? Board games? Cooking favorite or new recipes? Reorganizing your room? Kayaking? Refinishing a chair you found on the road? Mastering your Ping-Pong skills? Painting Pokémon in Renaissance settings? Star-gazing? Teaching your cat to use the toilet?
Is there something else that you just haven’t done in years that used to bring you joy? Will you try to bring it back into your life this month? I promise you won’t regret it. You might even find that letting your brain work on something fun will help it figure out bigger and more stressful problems in your professional life.
The fact of the matter is that there is no end to the list of recreational activities that can fill your cup.
Social media can point you in the right direction, but I think a huge component of what gives recreational activities a creating potential is your active engagement in them. Imagine the scene you’re reading in that novel you love. Mix the perfect color paint for that sunset, or follow the paint-by-numbers without error.
Learn to play a new game or beat your roommates in Settlers of Catan for the 147th time (you’ve been keeping track).
Replacing vegging out with recreation, even if it’s just 15 minutes, can really change how you recover from day-to-day exhaustion. In my experience, it has replaced restlessness with contentment and helped me to unwind when I am very stressed. I still end up spending time consuming TV and social media, but during the four years of my Ph.D. I’ve tried to be more intentional about recreation instead of zoning out. I’ve seen and felt positive changes.
This week, find a few minutes to participate in whatever interests you, whatever has always made you happy. Enjoy it. Create. Recreate. Even if it’s been years. Just because you are a grown adult with lots of responsibilities (that you absolutely rock at taking care of!) doesn’t mean that childhood thing can’t still bring joy.
Tell me about it in the comments!
—Kalen Johnson
Kalen is a doctoral student in the Department of VTPP.
Let’s be real.
As graduate students, we are learning how to create. How to innovate. We put forth into the world new ideas, new methods, new data and new findings. We are constantly pushing ourselves to do more and to think outside the box and to put something into the world that was not there before. It’s exhilarating and wonderful to be a part of that, but it is also very draining. We’ve let a lot of our personal interests fall to the wayside as our priorities shift to accomplish this great task before us.
When we were young, a lot of us spent time playing, building, reading, painting. Body slamming our siblings. We went to school, did a little homework, and RUSHED to do these other activities, eager for recreation time. It was essential to a standard childhood day. I know not everyone’s childhoods were lighthearted and happy, but maybe you can relate at least a little to the carefree commitment to whatever your interest was at the time. For me, it was reading, drawing, and exploring the woods near my house.
Sometimes I even wrote poetry about my explorations, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Now, when I come home from the lab after a full day of thinking and trying to create something new, I might hit the gym or take a walk. Most often, I want to sit and let my brain wander as I scroll through Instagram or watch an episode (or 2, or 5) of whatever new show hits Netflix. It’s easy to do and it feels like rest, but when I lay my head down to sleep, my brain feels overwhelmed. Maybe vegging out after a long day isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
I think there’s a reason that fun, relaxing, and usually not-for-profit activities are called recreation. We hear “recreation” and maybe think of intramural sports or kayaking or hiking. If we simply look at the word itself and break it down though, it’s simple. Re-create. We spend our working lives creating other things, but when was the last time you made space to re-create your inner self? And I’m not talking about reinventing who you are as a person, but rather replenishing the storeroom so you’ll have just as much to offer in a few days, or weeks. What I’m really asking you is, “What’s one thing you loved doing as a kid and don’t do anymore, but wish you did?”
For me, it was reading for fun. When I was young, I loved reading fantasy novels about epic adventures but decided that I needed to let that go to be successful in college. I kicked one of my favorite activities aside in order to be successful (and let’s be honest, that’s okay for a season!). When I realized I was going to grad school and wanted to stay in academia, however, I realized that I no longer wanted to keep pleasure reading on the back burner. I couldn’t just put “me” on hold while I worked towards one degree after another; where’s the joy in that? I started reading again. Sometimes voraciously, sometimes only a handful of pages at the end of the day before I doze off.
In the twists and turns of an epic adventure in an imaginary land, I found a piece of myself that had been slumbering. Where watching Netflix let me sit back and watch something else happen, reading beautifully written stories forced my mind to wander foreign lands, create new faces and imagine fantastic things. I took an active part in experiencing the story, and I could feel new life within me after I put the book down. When passively watching TV or scrolling through Instagram left me feeling emptier and more drained than before, reading for fun even for a few moments produced something new in me and left me feeling content and filled up.
What makes you feel this way? What makes you feel rested and content and full? Do you love reading too? Going on walks? Lifting at the gym? Board games? Cooking favorite or new recipes? Reorganizing your room? Kayaking? Refinishing a chair you found on the road? Mastering your Ping-Pong skills? Painting Pokémon in Renaissance settings? Star-gazing? Teaching your cat to use the toilet?
Is there something else that you just haven’t done in years that used to bring you joy? Will you try to bring it back into your life this month? I promise you won’t regret it. You might even find that letting your brain work on something fun will help it figure out bigger and more stressful problems in your professional life.
The fact of the matter is that there is no end to the list of recreational activities that can fill your cup.
Social media can point you in the right direction, but I think a huge component of what gives recreational activities a creating potential is your active engagement in them. Imagine the scene you’re reading in that novel you love. Mix the perfect color paint for that sunset, or follow the paint-by-numbers without error.
Learn to play a new game or beat your roommates in Settlers of Catan for the 147th time (you’ve been keeping track).
Replacing vegging out with recreation, even if it’s just 15 minutes, can really change how you recover from day-to-day exhaustion. In my experience, it has replaced restlessness with contentment and helped me to unwind when I am very stressed. I still end up spending time consuming TV and social media, but during the four years of my Ph.D. I’ve tried to be more intentional about recreation instead of zoning out. I’ve seen and felt positive changes.
This week, find a few minutes to participate in whatever interests you, whatever has always made you happy. Enjoy it. Create. Recreate. Even if it’s been years. Just because you are a grown adult with lots of responsibilities (that you absolutely rock at taking care of!) doesn’t mean that childhood thing can’t still bring joy.
Tell me about it in the comments!
—Kalen Johnson
Kalen is a doctoral student in the Department of VTPP.