How much is too much? That is what we ask ourselves often, but most of us may struggle with knowing how much we can take before we fall apart. Many people feel as if they have to busy themselves in order to be successful, and it most likely leads to loneliness, such as in my case.
I started to get more involved within college my second semester freshman year. I noticed my peers were really involved, and it made me feel like complete crap that I wasn't devoting myself to my community. I thought I could get more involved and make up for what I didn't do in high school. I eased into it at first, and I liked how it made me feel. It made me feel more productive than usual.
However, as time went on, I realized that I am overdoing myself. I'm taking 18 credits, I work part-time, I am part of a sorority and hold a position, I volunteer every week, and I attend my organization every week. I keep up with this all while making my way through a teacher candidate program. And let me tell you, it's pretty stressful.
But what is even more stressful is the fact that my social life has been crappy lately. Just plain crappy. The people who I thought used to be my friends? I don't think they like me anymore. We barely talk. And I really, really, regret that. You may not know it, but your social life is extremely important. Way more important than any other task you can think of to busy yourself with. And I regret it. I could have spent my free time catching up with others, but instead I stayed back and worked on anything I could have thought to get done. And it makes me feel extremely lonely. It effects how I think about myself, and it's not in a positive way. I put myself down for feeling lonely, and compare myself to others who seem to have a boatload of friends. I only wish that could be me.
The moral of the story here is to not busy yourself to loneliness. It's not worth it whatsoever. Friends are the best thing that can ever happen to you, and to throw that away would be a huge mistake. Your mental health is extremely important, and it's the first task on your to-do list. So instead of staying home all alone on a Friday night, go out. Thank me later.
