In our college careers, we often bite off way more than we can chew. We take classes, we join organizations, many of us work, we have social lives, we have find time for chores like laundry and keeping your room clean, and last but not least, we have to search for the needle called "sleep" in the giant haystack that our lives become. We comb the desert of life to find the sweet oasis of time. For most, if not all, that oasis becomes more of a lost ideal than a tangible place.
A wise man who is like a father to me told me something recently that I've found resonates more than I ever thought it would. He said, "When you're motivated, you can handle all that's on your plate. But when life hits you, in the form of being sick or overly stressed, the overfilled plate is more than you can handle." Sounds obvious, but so many of us don't realize that we simply take too much on our shoulders.
As a senior, I'm currently taking 17 credit hours while working part time, holding the position of Vice President in my fraternity, and being the Editor-in-Chief of the Ohio State Odyssey. And I've found that my story is similar to many fellow college students that I've met. I was handling it all, but then life hit. I got a sinus infection, and then I found myself struggling to accomplish any tasks at all.
My plan is to sit down, and find a way to not only balance it all, but mitigate my stress as well. And thus, I have two pieces of advice to give to those reading this, if this situation does or can apply to you.
First, try to avoid this situation in the first place. There are so many opportunities that come up in college and in life. But you can't say yes to them all, even if you want to. I got so caught up in the idea of my professional development that I didn't stop to think about the value of free time. Free time, even to just sit and relax for a moment, is imperative. You need to be able to unwind, because if you don't, the stress can pile on faster than you realize. Don't make decisions and say yes when you feel like a superhero, but rather, try and put yourself in your own shoes half a semester down the road.
Second, if you are in this situation, analyze what you can do. Physically write down what your obligations are, how much time it occupies, and decide if the pros outweigh the cons. You're probably going to have to make some difficult choices, but in the end, you'll be happier for it.
