It’s your senior year in college and your agenda is so color-coded you half expect a unicorn to fly over it. On the days when exhaustion weighs you down, you almost think you see a unicorn doing just that and chuckle in your hysteria.
I consider myself a well-involved student. I am co-president of To Write Love On Her Arms USF and director of its first public relations team. I’m part of the public relations team in Her Campus USF and I was a co-editor last year. I am currently editor-in-chief of USF’s Creative Writers’ Club, a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi, a member of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and I hold two internships. I get bored easily.
While dedication and good time management skills allow me to complete my work with machine-like precision, I occasionally do take on too much. It can be stressful and unhealthy and I immediately rearrange my schedule in order to maintain my sanity. From one busy college student to another, I advise you to learn the symptoms and reprioritize if you feel this way.
You know you’re taking on too much when:
1. Your social life suffers – Let me preface this with saying that it is okay to miss a party, or five, because you have responsibilities. It’s when you start to miss your closest friends because you are too busy that it becomes a problem. Our relationships with other human beings are important for our sanity. Our relationships with our friends, families and significant others help us handle stress and warm our hearts. If we fail at something, these relationships help us recover and move forward. Make time to call your mom. Text the boy you like. Send your best friend a funny meme. Maintain this relationship.
2. You’re Sleep Deprived – Messing with your sleep cycle is a dangerous thing. Lack of sleep has been linked to depression, anxiety, high stress levels, weight gain, decrease in alertness and memory impairment. Basically, all the studying and hard work you put into your day will be futile if your performance level suffers due to lack of sleep.
3. Your Eating Patterns Change – If you don’t have time to sneak a quick lunch, there’s a problem. Nutrition is vital to keep your body and mind running. You can’t think straight if your stomach is rumbling during a meeting.
4. Your Grades Suffer – You are first and foremost a student. Involvement in other organizations and internships are supplementary to your education. Your grades should be your first priority. If you can’t get good grades with your level of involvement, then you need to reconsider some of them.
Being involved in various organizations is rewarding. You learn time management, gain leadership skills, and experience the success of your hard work. However, organizations should not consume your entire life. If you feel that you need to sacrifice something that is important to your life, be it your friendships and/or your health, you are taking on too much.