When I said that I will take a break during the 2022 Spring Semester, my friends asked, “What will you do during the six-month-long break?” Though I considered this break when I was a sophomore, I made the final decision rapidly because of my surgery in February. I planned to work in a company through an internship program, learn some techniques related to computer languages, as well as learn some VR technology along with my one-month rest after the surgery. Many people told me to take a rest since I was exhausted, having had a busy time with lots of work from several clubs, projects, and a lot of courses. Therefore, I decided to take a break during my time off, and I learned some lessons from several meaningful events during my six month break.
Even after undergoing hardships, I eventually forgot most of my negative feelings and even the events that caused my malaise. Thus, I think people can and should control their feelings with good sense since overloaded feelings may disturb our lives. From the beginning of my surgery and hospitalization in February, I had some mental hardships, and I eventually realized that such emotions helped me mature. Failures of painstaking work which affected me greatly, unexpected farewells with people such as my grandfather, and the thought that I lost the reason to live diligently. These events were beyond my capacity. Even though I thought that I was an optimist, I sank into a swamp of depression. Thanks to my break, I had much time to do many things for myself, I tried to do things that could only be done in Seoul. My six months were full of musicals and plays, and this was a good opportunity to contemplate my feelings and make the negative emotions digest in a better way. While watching musicals and plays, and thinking about people’s behaviors and feelings in different conditions, I noticed that I had ignored myself while controlling my feelings. When I started keeping a diary to organize my thoughts and sincere intentions, I felt like I was successfully overcoming my situation.
While writing about my feelings, I realized that I just worked hard without thinking about essential factors. Moreover, I realized that health is the most important thing in my life. Therefore, I tried spending my break without any plans. First, I restarted Taekwondo, which made me healthy both physically and psychologically. My body became lighter in a short time since I was exercising more than three times a week, and I could refresh my mind while hearing the purity of children talking in the gym. One morning, I wanted to go to the zoo which always made me happy, so I went to the zoo immediately. I also studied organic chemistry on my own. Through spending time relaxing and studying without any exam-pressure, I re-learned how to make myself happy, something that I had forgotten while living a busy life on campus.
Back to the first question, my answer was always: “I will just have some rest.” However, looking back, I spent my time quite meaningfully. Though I was afraid that I have plenty of tasks to do by sacrificing myself back on campus, now I realize the importance of rest, and will focus more on the present. In fact, when I worked as an intern in Samsung last month, I had lots of things to do every day. Furthermore, I participated in a workshop and several lectures which were managed by an external foundation. Ruminating about what I really want to do now through looking into my feelings at the moment made me work with more passion and without overworking myself. Keep thinking what is important for you in the moment, and this, with some inner composure, will make your life happier.