It’s that time of year again. Your Macbook is charged, your planner is (mostly) filled up, and your fridge is barely stocked. We are really and truly back into the school year now, and summer is starting to feel like a distant memory.
With the start of the school year comes a slew of reminders and articles that we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves and that it is okay to take a step back from your schedule. Everywhere I turn, I feel like someone is reminding me about the value of taking some time for myself.
As a freshman still holding on to her last days of senioritis, I fully embraced this message. I knew college was going to be an adjustment, and I wanted to take it easy. My first semester, I joined one club that took up a maximum of two hours a week, and dedicated the rest of my time to “working on school” and “taking care of myself.”
What did I actually do my first semester? Finished a three full seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, gained a significant amount of weight and procrastinated my little heart out. My second semester at AU, I joined a sorority and began to branch out and try a little more. I got active in AU Students for Hillary Clinton. I still procrastinated a lot, and probably spent more time than I should have on Netflix. Somehow, I started to feel a little more like myself.
For this semester, I have once again added more to my schedule. I’m still involved in a couple clubs and I work and intern. I had a day last week where I did not return to my dorm from 9 am to 9pm, and I realized as I was walking to my last meeting or class of the day that I didn’t mind at all. I had just completed a few very productive hours at the library and got to spend the day doing things that I enjoyed, with people who shared my interests. At the end of the day, I was tired, but I didn’t mind. For me, there was something satisfying about being productive and involved enough to be tired at the end of the day. Since I’ve gotten busier, I’ve also noticed that I seem to be doing better in school.
This all goes to say that being busy is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, you might need a healthy amount of stress to give you a push. It’s okay to do a lot. In my life, I’ve found that I tend to do better when I do more. Being involved in a few clubs and working helps me manage the time I do have more effectively. So, yes, while it is absolutely okay for you to not do everything, it is also completely fine for you to want to do more.
If you’re feeling a little lost at sea, don’t be afraid to join a club or find a part time job. If you know you can handle it, don’t let other people tell you you’re stressed.
