Gone with the recurring spring cold is the frenzy of the first half of the semester. As excitement wanes and tension drains from the air, it is natural to feel somewhat exhausted—this is the time to pause and look inwards. Only through taking care of ourselves can we find peace, and subsequently, strength to take on what remains of the semester. The Granite Tower (GT) tunes into the voices of four Korea University (KU) students who each share their stories of their efforts to find inner peace in solitude.

Choi Yujin (’18, Health and Environmental Science)
When I get stressed out, most of the stress usually derives from maintaining relationships with others or the anxieties pertaining to my academic studies. During those times, I try my best to spare some time for myself. I give myself some alone time by being in peace and quiet. I usually turn on my favorite tune, catch up with some dramas or flip through magazines in a nearby café while taking a light stroll. I put in the extra effort to give myself some credit by doing things that I love. That takes me to the state of calm. The more exhausted I feel, I try to keep my schedule to the bare minimum and spend some time alone doing the above.

Park So Hyun (’17, English Language and Literature)
Like most people, I find my source of inner peace from doing things I love such as listening to the music of my favorite artist while enjoying a walk. Sometimes, I reread the books I love. These days, actually, I constantly look for movies to watch that are produced by my favorite directors. These little activities that I do for myself help me remain peaceful throughout my busy schedule. As I enjoy time spent in solitude, when I feel exhausted, I go to Daehak-ro by myself to enjoy a play. I also love eating good food alone; these days I’m into eating out by myself in Chinese hot pot restaurants.
 
Lee Su Bin (’16, Media and Communication)
I find my inner peace mostly through these following activities—drinking tea, listening to music, taking a quick shower, organizing the list of memorable phrases that I came across while reading. I also enjoy writing to reach such a state of mind. Along with these activities, listening to music I sincerely enjoy brings inner peace for me. I definitely do consciously give myself some alone time which is usually in the early morning right after I get up or right before I go to bed. During this alone time for myself, I love spending it either keeping a journal of the day, reading or making a to-do list.

Lee Soo Hun (’13, Mechanical Engineering)
For me, being placed alone in quiet or static places evocative of academic environments threatens my peace of mind. I feel most stress-free when I distance myself from the academic environment, which usually incites stress-related emotions. As I am mostly an extrovert, I acquire the most inner peace when I talk it out with my friends and try to communicate with them about my situation. However, it does not mean that my outlets of stress are limited to associating with others. I do at times enjoy watching movies by myself and reflecting on the movies before they start. For me, reflection is also a big part of attaining peace. Every night before I go to bed, I give myself fifteen minutes to look back at the mistakes I have made during the day—things I said that I probably shouldn’t have, regretful actions, indecisive moments. Knowing I’ve got these down in my head transports me into the state of calm.
 
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