It’s easy for us students to get so caught up in school that we only hang out with our friends to study and do homework.

I know I’m like this, only really hanging out in Stanley Russ to work on The Echo or do homework for journalism classes.

But recently, I’ve made more effort to hang out with friends I don’t normally see, specifically outside school settings. This does wonders for your mental health.

Socializing while getting away from school allows you a great opportunity to enjoy life and forget about school for a bit.

There are plenty of ways to go about this. 

Maybe you meet at a coffee shop to catch up and don’t bring homework. It is great to just calm down from stress and talk to your friends and hear about what’s going on in their life.

Or maybe you go out to a park to walk or play a game. I recently went to Beaver Fork Lake to play disc golf with some friends. It was an easy way to get outside for some fresh air and catch up with friends while walking to the next tee. Plus, you get some exercise while you’re at it.

Maybe you want to work your brain a bit but don’t necessarily want to do it academically. Find a project you and a friend can work on that isn’t for a class. Maybe it’s an art piece, putting together some furniture or trying to figure out and stop that weird noise your car has been making.

Many of us have friends at different colleges, and visiting can be a great way to catch up and experience a new place. I recently visited a friend at the University of Tulsa and had a lot of fun.

Visiting a friend at a different college can mean trying food at restaurants you’ve never heard of, heading to a bar with your friends’ friends that you get to meet, trying coffee shops and even just exploring a new campus. Of course, you’ll probably end up having to work on some homework while you’re there, but I still recommend it wholeheartedly.

Even if you’re swamped with homework, as we all often are, it’s still important to get out and hang out with friends. Simply being around other people when doing homework can help. 

An article from Medical News Today discusses “body doubling” as a way for people with ADHD to get work done. “They may place subtle pressure on the person with ADHD to remain focused,” the article said. It doesn’t matter if the other person isn’t doing homework, just the presence can help you stay on task over picking up your phone.

On top of the focus benefits, some social interactions in between homework assignments help you feel better and stop you from becoming a hermit.

So remember to take time to hang out with your friends and get out of constant academic environments. And if you’re too busy with homework but can still make it a way to hang out, then good on you.