I've always been involved in different activities and clubs growing up. In middle school, I danced, took voice lessons, was a part of every musical and play, volunteered and did homework. In high school, I was on 2 dance teams, multiple national honor societies, 3 clubs, was choir president, volunteered and held a job. Coming to college, I knew I wanted to be involved, so that's exactly what I did.
I have been told by a lot of people that I take on "too much", but in my opinion, I don't take on too much. I do take on a lot, but it's just the right amount…most days. I have found a balance in my life because I know that overcommitting myself would just stress me out and make everything worse.
I also get told that people do not understand how I get it all done. I get asked how it all works and how I'm so organized and put together. To be completely honest, I don't know. And to be even more honest, my life isn't always perfectly put together. Just like every other college student, I have my bad days. I have days where I break down and I don't think everything will get done. But then I realize that I've never not gotten things done on time, so why would it start now?
Every night before I go to bed, I look over my planner and laptop at assignments, due dates, and my activity schedule. It can all seem overwhelming, so I write out a daily to-do list of what needs to get done that day. I then put it all away and read a book before bed. I call this managing my stress.
Each time I complete something on my list, I cross it off. Simple as that. At the end of the day when everything is crossed off, I feel accomplished and like I actually did something. It makes everything come into perspective and seem more manageable.
Usually, each day consists of class, practice, an interview and a meeting of some sort. I rarely have a day where I just go to class and have no other commitments. Most people wouldn't like that, but I love it. I love being involved and having things to do because, at the end of the day, if I didn't run around campus like a chicken with her head cut off, I'd be bored senseless.
So instead of saying I take on "too much", say I take on "just enough."
