life is chaotic and college is stressful and this is how I have been approaching it.
If I were to write this article a year ago, I probably would have said something completely different. In regards to school and studying, I would probably say that I am constantly on top of it, and that I spend most of my time outside of class studying or doing homework. But, this year (and from my freshman year), I have learned that that really does not have to be the case. I would even go as far as to say that it’s unhealthy to spend all your time doing something productive. Sometimes, not being productive is okay.
By no means am I saying to just never do homework or studying again. But, I am saying that sometimes it’s okay to not do it. I have realized that having every waking moment be filled with doing something that is productive, whether it’s class, school, working out or whatever, is just so exhausting. Obviously, I allowed myself breaks for my phone or to talk to my friends but then I would be upset with the time I wasted. Recently, I have learned that this kind of thinking is actually damaging to my wellbeing and leads to feelings of being burnt out. I realize now that if I take breaks to talk to my friends, or watch an episode of TV, or scroll on TikTok for hours, that it is okay! Now, I try to schedule time in my day where I have time to do nothing. I fill this time with doing something that is fun and interesting to me, and is something I really want to do. This seems like a cliché thing to do, but it’s seriously been a game changer for me.
I feel like I have seen so many people just let college pass by them because they don’t spend time with their friends or go out and do fun things because they think they need to spend all day studying. But, sometimes it’s good to set limits on yourself. A mindset I have been thinking about is that as long as you go to bed feeling accomplished with what you have done with the day, then it’s okay. I can’t say I was feeling accomplished when I spent all day doing homework because I felt I was missing out on my friends, going out and doing things fun and for myself. But now, I think I have been able to find a balance between everything I want to do.
Life is really all about balance, and finding a balance is hard. But sometimes, the first step is figuring out what is important to you. For me, currently, it’s important to be well rounded and devote time to things other than work or school. I do this by making a list every night of what I want to do the next day and it helps me make sure to get everything done. But, if I do miss something, I don’t worry about it too much.