It's the new year and many of us are now officially out of the Christmas break mindset and back to reality. Upon finishing up my first week of my last semester of Junior year, I found myself facing the reality that maybe, just maybe, I bit off a little more than I could chew this semester.
We've all done it. In our pursuit of being well rounded, productive, individuals we may take on more responsibilities than we reasonably have time for. College is often an overwhelmingly busy time of life. We're all trying to make the most of this college experience by joining clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities. We're likely trying to also keep up with our health by eating 3 square meals a day and getting to the gym as often as we can. Of course, we can't forget the whole reason we're here in the first place; to learn.
Personally, I'm realizing that 18 credits might have been a little more than I bargained for and also that I'm not the kind of person who can run on only a few hours of sleep and still maintain a cheerful disposition.
Between work, school, family, and friends things are bound to slip through the cracks.
Here are 7 signs that you could be just a little bit too busy.
1.) You're starting to miss deadlines for work and class.
2.) You're neglecting your health and have stopped exercising regularly.
3.) You've started getting frustrated or stressed by little things that didn't use to bother you.
4.) You're always arriving late.
5.) You don't have time for your hobbies and other things that make you happy.
6.) You've started arguing more with friends and loved ones.
7.) You're regularly not getting enough sleep.
If any of these things sound familiar, don't worry there are ways to still be involved with all the activities you love without killing yourself in the process. The key is deciding what your priorities are. Look at you calendar and examine your life. Where is all your time going? What is eating up most of your energy? If it is something that you don't enjoy doing, that you are not passionate about, or something that is not bettering yourself or your future, then maybe it's time to cut it out.
Talk to your boss if you've taken on too many projects or ask your advisor or RA for tips on time management so you can take back control.
Finally, consider cutting back on time spent on electronics. If you'd gotten off Netflix when you said you were going to you could have completely finished that paper that you're stressing about.
Set boundaries and make your physical and mental health a priority and this semester could be your best one yet.
