Compared to the intense, often stressful culture we experience here at Princeton, the culture my friend was introduced to in Spain was preferable, and I agree with her. At Princeton, everyone is busy and scheduled all of the time. Between classes, homework and extracurricular commitments, it’s hard to find time to sleep, let alone take any time for a break. It’s often tempting for me to feel that I should maximize my time to fit in as many activities as possible. I sometimes feel guilty if I turn down another extracurricular commitment or skip a public lecture I was planning to go to. With so many opportunities here, I feel as though I should be taking advantage of as many as possible. The “work hard, play hard” mentality is pervasive in academics, extracurriculars and our social lives.
But there is also something to be said for not going so hard. I know that it is right for me to take the time to watch a TV show, chat aimlessly with my friends or just sit and breathe for a while — it allows me to recharge. These moments of relative peace and downtime help me to retain my sanity — it’s harder to experience all Princeton has to offer if I’m constantly burnt out.
This is why I was so excited when I heard about Restaurant Week. In encouraging Princeton students to take time out of their evenings to enjoy a restaurant meal with friends, the USG is sponsoring a cultural shift — if only for one week. This is the atmosphere that my friend loved in Spain, the same atmosphere that I seek when I take time out of my day to do something not normally deemed “productive.” The USG is creating an opportunity for us to slow down the pace of life and relax.
The USG plans many events and activities, from speakers to service opportunities to concerts, all of which allow us as students to be more actively engaged in campus life. But when the USG coordinates events like Restaurant Week or the free movies at the Garden Theater, it validates and supports students on campus who are looking for low-key downtime, and it suggests to the rest that it might be a good idea to take such a break. The USG is supposed to serve our needs as a community, and that includes our mental health. For better or worse, it often seems like Princeton students need an incentive (like a discount at a restaurant or the movies) to make taking a break seem attractive, even when our mental health depends on it. And providing these incentives and opportunities for students to do so may be one of the most important roles that the USG plays on this campus.
In these terms, Restaurant Week is a potential challenge to campus culture. On this campus and in these pages, we often talk in abstract terms about slowing down the hectic pace of life here. But this week presents an opportunity to suggest concrete, if small, solutions. Even if you didn’t go to Restaurant Week, take an hour for lunch or dinner on campus to catch up with friends or break from your normal schedule. Princeton can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. When we give ourselves a separate space to relax, we give ourselves the opportunity to unwind.
Sarah Schwartz is a sophomore from Silver Spring, Md. She can be reached at seschwar@princeton.edu.
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