We’ve all probably said this to ourselves at least once during our college or high school careers. One minute we’re talking about how burnt out we are, the next we’re scrambling to find things to fill our schedules with even more. It’s a constant internal battle between protecting our peace and building the most impressive résumé for a 20-year-old; all while juggling school work, maintaining social relationships, and figuring out who we are.
Since being in college, my perception of what is “enough” has constantly fluctuated. In my first semester, I became a member of the UConn Dance Company and a campus correspondent and page designer for The Daily Campus. When that started to feel like it wasn’t enough, I became a choreographer for the dance company the next semester, giving myself a semester-long project that was extremely rewarding, yet stressful at times.
Eventually, I started to feel inadequate in comparison to my peers again, so I applied and received the position of Associate Life Editor at The Daily Campus which I began in the fall of 2023. At this point, I was attending six rehearsals for the UConn Dance Company and writing two to three articles for The Daily Campus a week while also running the section I was writing for and designing pages every Sunday. But of course that still didn’t feel like enough.
This semester comes around and I still feel like my résumé could use some work. So I join Her Campus UConn and my school’s television channel, UCTV, simultaneously.
So here’s what my weekly schedule looks like now: Six dance rehearsals Monday through Thursday, writing five to six articles, splitting my Wednesdays so I can attend the Her Campus and UCTV meetings on a biweekly basis, filming news packages, overseeing a newspaper section, designing pages on Sundays, and using what few moments of free time I have to hunt for internships (You would think I had gotten an offer by now…nope). Not to mention doing well in my classes and trying to make the most of my college experience.
After all this, those of older generations still have the gall to categorize me as lazy. The worst part of it all is that I catch myself believing them, and I still feel like I have to do more to prove them wrong.
I tell myself that the exhaustion and stress will pay off in the end, but when even is the end? Up to what point do I have to push myself to feel satisfied with what I’ve accomplished? This is not a unique experience. This is a dilemma faced by many young adults. While I can’t give you a definition for what is enough, I can tell you the standards I’m planning to start living by to keep me busy but happy.
For one, I want to make sure that I am committed to things I am passionate about rather than things other people have told me I should be a part of. All of my extracurriculars are either career-driven or passion-driven. While the UConn Dance Company isn’t career-focused, it is a creative outlet and a place where I feel like I can unwind. I think it’s important for everyone to be a part of something that simply makes them feel good.
I also make sure I don’t enter a territory of resentment. What I mean by that is that currently, I am involved in a lot of journalism-related activities because I want to develop my skills in various areas of the field. However, I feel that I’ve reached my limit, and joining any more career-based activities would cause me to grow feelings of resentment towards journalism. I don’t want to overdo it. I’ve always loved writing, and I never want to reach the point where I dread having to do it.
Finally, I plan to pace and schedule myself much more meticulously in the future. I want to plan so that certain days are dedicated to certain extracurriculars so that I don’t feel like I’m constantly hopping back and forth. I also want to dedicate a day to my hobbies. Journalism is one of my passions, but I do not want to let it become my entire personality.
At the end of the day, it’s all about setting boundaries that you are comfortable with and sticking to them. It’s also important to not compare yourself with your peers and people on social media. People will show you what they want you to see. Your achievements aren’t invalidated just because they aren’t filmed.