Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly, and taking care of your mental health all while trying to balance life as a college student can be more than overwhelming. Whether you have a job or hold a leadership position in a club, it is difficult to find a balance between all the roles, we as college students, take on. Since I can remember, I have always been a “busy bee” running from one meeting to the next; always having something to do and somewhere to be. This was my norm and how I ran my life; I knew nothing else. I never realized there was anything wrong with it until after my freshman year of college when I began to notice my mental health had taken a turn for the worst.
I had always known myself as a happy-go-lucky kind of person who was down to have a good time and hang out with friends, but everything I had once found joy in began to feel more like a chore. When it came to attending social events, going to the gym, or simply carrying a conversation, I had no desire or the energy to do any of it. Everything I did, I did because I felt as if I had to; like I had no choice. My daily routine did not include giving myself the time to relax, take a break, or recharge. If I did, I would give myself a 20 minute break, if that, only to go straight back to work because I felt like I was being lazy. Even when I went out on the weekends to explore the city, I could not help but stress about all the work I had to do as soon as I got back to campus. I forgot how to live in the moment and simply enjoy the company I was in. At this point, I knew something had to change.
Reflecting on my situation, I realized I needed to begin by prioritizing, not my school work, but my wellbeing. That being said, if you are going through something similar, you should not drop all your school work and forget about it. Instead, this is where the idea of self-care comes into play. Self-care can mean something else for everyone depending on who you are, but that is the beauty of it. Personally, this meant learning how to say ‘no’, reaching out, letting go of perfection, practicing positive self-talk, and rewarding myself.
I have always struggled with allowing myself to be vulnerable and talk to others about how I was feeling. I did not want to be a burden or sound like I was complaining all the time, therefore, I refrained from opening up all together. When going through a difficult time, not talking to someone left me feeling alone and made the situation worse than it had to be. If you ever find yourself going through something, no matter how big or small it might be, simply having someone to vent to can make all the difference. Do not be afraid to reach out because no matter what, there will always be someone there to listen.
After writing this article, I have realized I need to learn how to take my own advice. You try to remind yourself everyday of what is or should be most important to you, but sometimes that is not the reality. This is a life-long learning experience that you will not achieve in one day, and that is okay; this took me long enough to realize and accept. Even if these thoughts just linger in the back of your mind, what matters is that they are relevant and present.