“You’ll never be this young again.”
“Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.”
“Your college years are the best years of your life.”
We have all heard these statements, or others with the same message. They definitely hold some truth. We truly will never be this young or free again. Our college years can be some of the best in our lives and we should always strive to make memories and take advantage of all the opportunities before us.
But what if this life-chasing, memory-making mindset is slowly running us to the ground?
FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, can be a plague to any college student. We hear so often about not letting the days pass us by, that we run ourselves silly trying to fit everything in. We over-schedule, overbook, and fill our planners to the brim to say that we never missed out and had the best, fullest years of our lives.
All while trying not to pull our hair out with the stress and lack of sleep.
I write this from a place of personal experience. I have always been a Type A, run myself to the ground to not miss the next big thing kind of girl. While I do have some amazing memories from fitting it all in and saying yes when opportunity called, I also know that so often it comes at the cost of my physical, mental and emotional health.
Instead of the mindset of FOMO, I want to try thinking quality over quantity. So, maybe it means saying no to that club. For you, it could mean cutting back on hours dedicated to your sorority, your job, or even just going out with friends. The goal here is not to miss out on the good times, but rather maximize the good times by not being exhausted. This way, you might have fewer moments, but the moments are truly memorable.
What is the point of taking advantage of every opportunity, if it costs you your health? You do not have to join every club, apply for every internship and be on top of everything. Choose what you love, and be dedicated to those things. Then, when you are looking back on your college years, you will remember making the best decisions for you, not being overran thanks to FOMO.
Remember, your college story is yours, write the story you want to look back and remember, even if it means not doing everything offered to you.