Prioritizing Your Commitments For Health And Happiness

Prioritizing Your Commitments For Health And Happiness Image via Pixabay This is one of the largest, most common distortions college students have. True, we are powerhouses and we are at an age where we are most efficient and capable of doing a lot. Doing a lot in college is not a bad thing at all in general, until it becomes too much. The question of “what do you really have time for?” does not mean “how many activities can you fit into 18 hours before and after a six-hour sleep?” It means “what do you comfortably have time for?” Students burn out when they least expect it sometimes, and it can take a toll on mental and physical health. Be realistic when thinking about how much you can take on in a given term, and make sure to say no if you need to   even if you’re saying no to yourself. College students who know their limits and approximate energy levels will be better able to gauge the number of involvements they can comfortably handle in addition to their college coursework. It’s a horrible feeling to overcommit yourself to the point where you truly don’t have time to complete all your work and still feel in command of your life. What makes you excited? When you’re involved in a lot of organizations, chances are some of those involvements make you more excited than others. Maybe you’ve been executive director of your university’s television station for two years and you’re just now realizing that you lost interest after one year, or maybe something that you used to enjoy doing just isn’t working for you anymore. Check in with yourself to see which voluntary involvements you have that aren’t making you excited for life, and consider cutting back your time with that organization (or cutting it out of your life altogether). If you find yourself having trouble with this question, pose scenarios in your head where you imagine not doing one of the primary activities you’ve been doing for awhile. Does it make you sad to imagine not being part of the counseling center’s student advisory board? What about if you didn’t go to senate meetings anymore? Image via Flickr Testing out hypothetical scenarios against your feelings is a good way to intuitively get a sense of which activities mean the most to you. You’ll enjoy your days much more if you weed out activities that bring you down, stress you out excessively, or bring inconvenience to your schedule. What makes you grow? What develops you personally? Staying stagnant in the same position for four years is a lot less valuable than being in two dynamic environments that challenge you over the course of four years. Think about all the activities you do, the jobs you work, the organizations you work for, and consider whether those positions are actively helping you grow or pushing you in any effective or useful ways. If your answer is no, you might consider resigning from that activity or reassessing what you’re getting out of it. Additionally, if you ever feel (even unconsciously) that you’re doing a certain activity just for an item on your resume, know that this won’t be a good use of your time. Anyone looking at your resume likely assumes that whatever they see on there is something you invested yourself in out of personal interest. Plus, wouldn’t you rather have a resume full of involvements you’re proud of? Are you letting your health slide? Here’s an important truth we often forget: if your body isn’t well, you can’t work, go to meetings, go to classes, or do anything you enjoy. This should put things in perspective for students who have been putting their health secondary to their calendars. Consider reprioritizing your time if you find yourself without enough time to cook healthy food for yourself or sleep enough that your eyes don’t sting in the mornings. A healthy balance of positions and obligations in your life should leave you with a comfortable amount of time to stay rested and devote time to meal planning. The sooner you prioritize your commitments as a college student, the more quickly you’ll find yourself enjoying every day of your life you’ll be doing the things you want to be doing (for the most part), or at least less of the things that don’t serve you constructively or capture your interest. No matter which activities you do or how packed your schedule is, remember how important it is to carve out time to relax and maintain your well-being.