When I was in high school, I was that girl. I was a cheerleader, was involved in every club and had a part-time job. During certain weeks I had something every day and to this day I still don't know how I was able to do it all and stay sane.
There was one week my senior year where I had (and I'm not exaggerating) four different events and projects in one week. I had overloaded my schedule and stretched myself too thin.I had my first panic attack because I was so stressed about everything. However, once the week was over I was able to look back and be proud of how hard I worked in all those events and projects.
During the second semester of my freshman year of college, I started becoming that person again. I got more involved with my sorority, had a leadership position in a campus ministry and was in two other organizations. When I started getting more involved in organizations on campus it became the same type of thing. I was constantly running to and from places and found myself saying no to some events and yes to others.
I realized I was stuck in the same problem I got myself in to in high school — the problem of not being able to say no.
There was a time in high school when I ticked off one of my teachers. He told me that I had a bad problem of never saying no to things and it causes me to feel like the world is crashing down on me. Those words have always been in the back of my head when I find myself in sticky situations where I want to say no, but I end up saying yes.
Being in these situations has caused me to have a different perspective. I've learned that if there is a time that I am sacrificing quality over quantity, then I shouldn't do it. While you can find organizations that both fill you up and look good on a resume, sometimes you can sacrifice one for the other.
If someone is reading this and thinking "this girl is spitting some truth bombs, and I completely relate to her"...this is for you.
Stop saying yes to everything that is offered to you. If it sacrifices your mental health, don't do it. If you feel like you're only doing something for how it makes you look, stop doing it immediately.
