In my first semester of college, I decided to get involved in everything I possible could. LITERALLY I joined every club. My grades came out great, I was super involved on campus, and everyone was impressed that I was this involved as a first semester freshman.
But when I came back from winter break, I realized that I was in over my head. The first two weeks of second semester, I realized how much I put on my plate. I was doing everything I love, but I began to run from meeting to meeting, from the library pumping out assignments for the next class in 20 minutes, and not going to bed until after midnight.
I didn’t even have time for myself. I wasn’t going to the gym daily anymore, I would be so tired when I got home that I would crash on my bed and not do anything for myself. And I was tired, all of the time. It dawned on me that I needed to take a step back and realize my priorities. I applied for a program back in November and was accepted, and my serving term was to begin this semester. After the first meeting of that organization, I decided to step down. I was already in three other incredible organizations on campus and I was going through sorority recruitment.
A few weeks ago, I had to go home suddenly due to a death in my family. I was home for about a week, and when I returned to campus, still in mourning, I was stressed from all the work I had to make up and the people I had to follow up with. Needless to say, I realized that I was doing too much, and I needed to set time aside for myself.
And that’s what I want to say to you: get involved as much as you want, but don’t forget to set time aside for YOU. Your health is extremely important, especially throughout college. So remember to set aside time for you. Go to the gym for an hour, get out and explore your college town, or watch some Netflix with your best friends.
Find ways to treat yourself, and remember to always evaluate if you’re capable of taking on what you’ve dished out on your plate.