While in college, there are so many aspects of life to balance. From classes, jobs, social life, organizations, healthcare, etc., it is overwhelming to try and keep things together sometimes. I am going to give some helpful tips I use to make this balancing act a little easier in the way of academics, social life and physical/mental health.
Academics
College is a major jump in academic responsibility more than high school ever was. You have to take things into your own hands, and there will not be someone there to remind you of due dates, assignments and exams (unless you have a super kind professor). This is why my first tip is to invest in an agenda and USE IT. My first semester of college, I went out and bought the cutest agenda, filled it all out, color-coded it, put all the cute reminder stickers throughout it, wrote the birthdays of everyone I knew— and then never looked at it again. This made keeping up with all of my assignments 10x harder than it needed to be had I just used my agenda for its intended purpose.
Next up—procrastination. It is so easy to put off an assignment for weeks until the night before it’s due, but that only leads to an abundance of unnecessary stress. One great thing about college courses is the syllabus with every due date and exam right on it. This means you have a major heads-up to when you need to get things done. So, if you take the time to do things in advance, you WILL feel so much better, and chances are you will receive a much better grade than if you would have rushed to finish with little time to spare.
Social Life
College is filled with hundreds of people you’ve never met, which makes it a great place to make friends, but how?
The first, and most obvious, way is to just talk to people. Talk to people in class, in a common area, at the gym, or anywhere else you may be on a regular basis. You could literally meet your new best friend in your next bio class. Although some may be more outgoing than others, try to make small talk with a friendly face, or compliment the person sitting next to you. You would be surprised how many people would love to make a new friend just as much as you do.
Another AMAZING way to meet people and make new friends is to join clubs and organizations. This could be a sorority, a sports team or a club related to your major or hobbies. Making friends in these instances is a no-brainer, because you already know you’re with a group people who have the same interests as you. It can make a huge difference in your social life, and it often looks good on things like resumes for internships or job applications (win-win!)
Health
With being so busy in college along with meal plans and long nights out, it can be easy to lose track of healthy habits such as eating right and exercising, but just because you may not have time to make it to the gym every day does not mean you can’t remain active. A lot of times, there are ways for us to be more active, but choose not to. Examples would be taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking to class instead of driving. It may seem like little things like this won’t matter, but it is amazing how they can add up and make a real difference.
When dealing with eating habits, college can make it extremely easy to make poor choices. There are numerous dining options with not-so-healthy choices, and being a “broke college student” can make living off of ramen noodles and Easy-Mac seem necessary. This does not have to be the case. When using your meal plan, there is almost always a nutritious option in the dining halls such as salad bars, lean proteins, fruits and veggies. If grocery shopping, check for deals online or opt for fresh instead of frozen (or vice-versa). Items such as bananas, potatoes, and chicken breast can be super affordable when bought in bulk.
Mental Health
On this side of things, it is so important to take time for yourself. College can be overwhelming and it is better to take a break and not over-work yourself on a daily basis. According to psychotherapist Emily Roberts, engaging in activities such as meditating, spending an hour alone doing something that nourishes you, or even taking a quick nap can do wonders for your self-care and maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself and others.
College is the time to be independent– but that also means taking care of yourself.