It’s almost the end of March, and for Northeastern students, that means almost the end of the semester. Professors are starting to throw papers and final tests at us like there is no tomorrow and, at least for some, it feels like there is no room left to breathe. The beginning of this season made me remember when I was sitting at a staff meeting at work the other day and overheard one of my coworkers talking about how trendy it was now to talk about how busy you are and essentially brag about it. Sounds a bit toxic, doesn’t it? This is something I see fairly often at school, and I think it’s time to stop.
Courtesy of Giphy
When I was in high school, I always felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I had friends playing sports, getting straight A’s in AP classes, and there I was going to choir, doing classwork, and repeating the whole process over again the next day. In college, I decided to up the game for myself and ended up doing everything and anything I could to be involved in the school and in my classes. On top of that, I have a part time job and try to maintain a stable workout routine.
Now, here I am at the end of March with my coworker’s words echoing in my ears. Society tells us to push ourselves to the limit, but there comes a point when doing everything becomes more overwhelming than satisfying. We shouldn’t feel like we need to take 17 credits, join three clubs, get a job, go out on the weekends, workout, maintain a social life, and stay sane. It is pretty much impossible.
On top of that, it sets unrealistic expectations. Yes, the first three months of the year usually include a depression in many people’s moods, myself included, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s just because of the dreary weather. Maybe it’s another sign that we are taking on too much. If that’s the case, it is okay to cut back and we shouldn’t feel like we are failing ourselves or letting anyone down by doing so. College is hard, life is hard, and navigating this crazy, kind of messed up world, as a young adult is a complicated, sometimes nauseating process. But it shouldn’t feel like the world is crashing down on our shoulders all the time.
Courtesy of Giphy
There is a balance somewhere in the chaos that is life and we just need to find it. Having a free day on the weekend is a good, healthy thing. Sometimes I feel like having a free afternoon means I am missing something or doing something wrong, but that just means I have a second to breathe. Being busy is great, don’t get me wrong. I thrive off of being busy and accomplishing assignments, going to my part-time job, and participating in my sorority, but having a little room to take a second to breathe and think about my life and where I am right now feels pretty good too.
Courtesy of Giphy