When you think of college, you think of classes, a busy schedule, organizations, parties, opportunities, hanging out with friends and living on your own. However, handling all of these without hurting yourself mentally and physically is a daunting task. While it isn’t impossible, it is incredibly difficult. When you think of college, you don’t think about being too tired to wake up for class because you were up late the night before attending a club meeting and doing homework. Going weeks without interacting with friends isn’t the first thing that pops in your mind, and you certainly don’t think about being too busy to eat. However, for some people it is. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the idea of an ideal college experience that you begin to overwhelm yourself. When that happens, all of the other aspects of your life suffer. Doing too much sometimes causes you to not perform to your optimal performance and can quickly begin to affect your health.
I have found that when I say yes to everyone and everything, I end up getting more stressed, busy and worn out. I often get to the point where I cannot complete the tasks asked of me because I am too far stretched out. It also begins to affect things in my own life. I become too tired or stressed to complete my own homework, get sleep or even remember to eat. I have found that by telling people yes, even when I can’t complete the task, I affect my own health (physical and mental). By not saying no, I am in turn not able to help people to my full potential.
It is important to find the balance between helping yourself and achieving a worthwhile college experience. However, this may mean that you miss out on a few achievements, but it is worth it to be able to do things to the best of your ability. It is also essential to be able to determine what you can complete without pushing yourself past your limits.
You also need to learn that, in some cases, you need to put your own needs before others. It is important to take care of yourself and ensure that you are getting priorities done before trying to take on others. Take a mental health day every once in a while. Leave one day a week where you don’t take on extra burdens. Learn how to say no to people when you have too much on your plate.
I’m not saying that it is impossible to handle all of these things. Some people love to be busy and are capable of taking on everything and still maintain their sanity. However, if you’re not one of those people, it’s okay to recognize that and adjust accordingly. It doesn’t have to affect your college experience. You just have to find a healthy balance.
So here’s to making YOU a priority. To feeling OK with being selfish once in a while and setting aside some “me-time.” Here’s to making the most out of your college experience without harming yourself in the process and allowing YOU to achieve greatness. Here’s to not always being the superhero, and most importantly, here’s to saying NO.