social life | Beyond the Elms

It can be really hard to maintain the multitude of things going on in your life. With classes, clubs, sports, labs, and friends, it can often feel like there’s not enough time for everything. Here are my tips for maintaining your sanity amidst it all.

Be diligent about writing down your assignments, meetings, doctors appointments, and other important events down somewhere. It helps to have a planner so that you can organize yourself by day, week, and month. This also makes it easier to look ahead and see what events you have coming up that you may need to prepare for.
Make sure to take careful note of events that are not usually a part of your schedule. These are often the hardest things to remember because they are not a part of your daily routine. If you think that that will not be enough, you can highlight it, write it in a pen so that it stands out from your writing in pencil. That way, there is a much smaller chance that you will miss it and then forget about it.
Color code things! This helps me so much because I know that when I see a certain color, it means a specific event is coming up. For example, I write all my upcoming quizzes and tests in bright blue. That way, when I leaf through my planner, I know that I have a test on the days with bright blue.
Plan out what you need to do over the weekend before the weekend starts. I often find that if I try to plan my homework for the weekend on Saturday, it overwhelms me, and I often don’t end up getting as much work done. If I can write out everything I need to do before the weekend hits, I have a better chance of getting everything done. It is also important to note that there are always lots of fun things going on over the weekend, so when planning everything you need to do, it can be helpful to decide what time of day you want to accomplish certain tasks. That way you can also schedule time to spend time with friends and relax.
Check things off your list! Personally, I find nothing to be more satisfactory than crossing something off my list of things to do. If you write something down in your planner or on a piece of paper, it means it was important enough that you didn’t want to forget to do it, which means that when you’re done with it, you get to say farewell to that task and definitely cross it off the list.
Be realistic with your goals and the amount of work you hope to get done in a day. I oftentimes find myself writing down too much for the time I have in the day, and that often leaves me feeling disappointed that I didn’t get more done and, maybe even, behind on my assignments. That’s why being realistic is so important. If you can set realistic goals for yourself, you are more likely to reach them and feel content at the end of the day.
Schedule time to be with friends and to relax. I often find myself only writing things down that are related to my studies or meetings, but self care is so important and for many people, that involves spending time with friends or being alone. It is easy to forget how important it is, but writing it down will not only remind you to take that time, but also remind you of its gravity.

College is one of the most exciting times of our lives. We have freedom like we never have before, we get to pick all of our classes, we have no parents or guardians living with us, endless opportunities to join clubs, do sports, and meet tons of new people. It feels like the world is finally opening its doors and we can do everything and anything we want.

Although this is liberating, where we feel like a force to be reckoned with, it normally lasts for a week or two, and then reality sets in. Living on your own means that you have to regulate everything yourself: when to do laundry, when to eat, study, get exercise. In addition, we have to regulate our own schedules beyond our classes. How many clubs can you join? Will you do a varsity sport? How much time will that eat up? These are all things we have to think about and it can be a hard transition to make sure there’s a balance between them all.

Most of the people at the 5C’s are extremely good at managing everything and are always willing to offer advice to help make sure their friends and peers are balancing everything in their lives. What I see more and more often is that people often prioritize the care of other students, before they prioritize their own. I am definitely guilty of this and have a hard time making sure that I have time to get all my work done, enjoy my extra-curricular activities, and also spend time with my friends and relax. Self care is so important, but often doesn’t take precedence in our busy schedules. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be there for your friends, but you can’t help others as effectively if you aren’t in a good place yourself.

Recognizing when you are stressed or overwhelmed and taking a step back to evaluate how you can reduce that stress is crucial to staying mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. Sometimes, you realize you haven’t exercised in a while, so you go to the gym to clear your head, or you spend a night with your friends watching movies or having a dance party. But sometimes you just need to treat yourself to a bubble bath or a soft pretzel.

When life gets to be too much, we often feel alone and isolated by our feelings, but if you are feeling down, there are so many resources and people whose job it is to help you talk it out. You can always contact your RA, the dean of students, a parent, or a friend to work through your feelings. In addition, Scripps and the 5C’s offer free counseling if you would rather talk with someone who has a completely objective perspective.

The most important thing about self care is recognizing your feelings and realizing that they are completely valid, even if they seem outrageous or silly. The truth is, most people are going through similar situations and realizing that can also be very comforting. I know for me, I have had to cut back on my activities this year, in order to maintain my sanity and emotional wellbeing. That is allowed and totally valid. If your stress comes from grades, know that you are not defined by your grade. It does not define your self-worth, or even what you will do in the future. Everyone will love you the same, even if you don’t ace your next midterm.

So embrace your feelings, even when they seem silly and take some time to treat yourself every now and then.