JOMO

May 4, 2026

Writer: Aria Patnaik

Editor: Emma Minock

The sun shines and warms my skin, my hair is sandy, and my mom and dad sit in chairs beside me on the beach. I am on a calm spring beach trip as a respite from Michigan’s cold winter. The days are spent unhurriedly with my parents: slow wakeups, biking to breakfast with my mom, gym sessions, long hours alternating between the beach and pool, my favorite foods for dinner, and ending the day reading on the hotel patio with my dad. 

It began to dawn on me that hanging out with your parents may not be most people’s ideal way to spend their college spring break. I had observed months of buildup to a popular freshman trip to Miami with constant chatter among my friends on campus. As anticipated, my social media featured countless girls' trips with group photo shoots, cute dresses, and funny stories from action-filled nights. Yet, as I chatted with my parents over long meals, I was filled with gratitude. 

My weeks before break were especially taxing, with midterms taking a toll on my physical and mental health. Late nights studying, countless club commitments, and rounds of dorm sickness had left me feeling drained. With what seemed like everyone going, I had considered the Miami trip. But I knew my body needed rest, so I ruled it out. 

In college, everyone’s lives are on display, as well as expectations on what your four years should look like. This combination creates constant doubt on whether or not you are doing college “right”— setting yourself up for a lucrative career by doing well in school and being in the correct clubs, all while making your college experience “the best four years of your life” with a filled social schedule and frequent nights out.  We are told to say yes to everything, and we fear missing out on conversations and memories that make us equally eligible candidates for this unspoken “best time of your life” competition. This leads to doing what people around us do, even if it is not best for us. While I am a huge advocate for discomfort as a tool for growth, I also have experienced how powerful it can be to be in tune with yourself.  

Listening to my body and mind has been the most valuable lesson from my first year at Michigan. There will always be something that I am “missing out on”, but I have learned that acknowledging my individual needs is crucial for long-term sustainability and happiness. I used to kick myself for nights in, but I now understand that we are all on different paths; when I have a stressed or low-energy week, someone else may be recovering from a hard prior week and is finally getting their energy back. So much happens behind the scenes that we do not see. Although going with the crowd is the safe option, having the self-awareness to follow your own schedule is what fills your cup. 

Stretching on the beach chair, I was rejuvenated by the Vitamin D and by my parents’ presence. The thought of Miami crossed my mind, but all I felt was a deep sense of contentment for being exactly where I needed to be, and the joy of missing out.