College is a time in life that comes with a lot of change. We're meeting new people, trying out new clubs, going to new places. When there aren't many constants in life, it can be draining to mental health. It can be very tiring to constantly be going; we're constantly trying to find the balance between school life and personal life. This is where focusing on mental health comes in. Without being healthy mentally, it is extremely difficult to balance everything else that comes with college life. We need to start making our own health a priority, and these are some of the ways that I have found to do that.

Especially as a freshman living in a dorm, alone time is hard to come by. We constantly want to be meeting new people and having fun experiences, but at some point, we'll need to rest and recover. Making sure that you schedule that time to recharge is key in having a healthy social life. No matter what that alone time entails, we need that time by ourselves. Whether it be napping, watching a movie, reading, going to the gym, that social compass needs to recharge.

Going along with that, in order to be able to find a balance between the different sectors of life, we need to stay on top of what's happening. Whenever I know that I'm on track with my homework and I have everything that I need to do scheduled out, I'm able to better appreciate my leisure time. Every morning before I do anything else, I take five minutes to plan out what I need to do for the day. I also ensure that my schedule has time for what I enjoy. I won't put leisure over my responsibilities, but I also know that I will be more productive if I know that when I finish I can go enjoy myself.

Finding balance in college life is difficult. We have so many obligations and responsibilities that it can end up extremely overwhelming at times. But, at the end of the day, if you don't have strong mental health, it makes it hard to balance all other responsibilities. We need to be able to recognize for ourselves that it is okay to focus on our own needs, whatever those needs are.