In college, far too many people overwork themselves and stress about things that shouldn’t give them so much trouble. I should know, because I am too often one of them. It is easy to commit your time to many different tasks and forget what really matters to you, or even to focus too much time on what does matter to you so that you fail to have time to appreciate it. However, there is a difference between being busy and being productive, and what really brings happiness is not constant progress and achievement, but rather meaningful work.
One big problem a lot of people have is getting stressed. Stress is a major factor in college drop-out rates; according to a federal report called “Pathways to Success,” it is known that “stress from college requirements or the external environment, on the other hand, may negatively affect persistence.” Additionally, stress manifests itself physically with symptoms of chronic stress ranging from having an upset stomach and trouble sleeping to heart disease and depression, according to WebMD. One of the main causes WebMD lists as a contributing factor is “having a heavy workload or too much responsibility.” In college, it is already hard enough to keep up with courses and manage your life on your own, so the easiest way to relieve stress head on is to try and reduce one’s workload and responsibility. This may sound like the opposite thing of what most people think about spending time well in college, but I am not saying our work should be reduced to nothing; rather, we should all be more intentional about it.
According to mayoclinic.org, saying no to commitments and taking control of one’s surroundings as a first-order approach to stress relief really does work, but we must not lose sight of the balance between the two unhealthy extremes of inactivity and of overloading. Once we pick the activities we really want to participate in (even if it requires a period of over-commitment at first), then we are able to spend real effort to master them and invest in those things, rather than being distracted and stressed out by an excess of small things vying for our attention.
Saying “yes” to things is important, especially when searching for a calling or community, but far too often in modern society we simply load up on commitments and little duties that prevent us from making the most of the opportunities that matter the most to us. College is a great time to explore, but eventually we each choose a specialty and cannot remain as free with our time and efforts as we would like. Instead of letting our commitments own us and run us into the ground with stress, we should take control of our time. Marjorie Billock said in a Hirram College health blog that taking conscious control of our time will help overcome stress.
“By realizing and making known something doesn’t fit your priorities and turning it down, you’re putting yourself in a position of power,” Billock says.
It should come as no surprise that even as I write I am worrying about the next homework assignments and the several extra-curricular activities I need to worry about later (including writing this article), but I can vouch for the effectiveness of letting some things go as an effective stress reliever.
Take a second to evaluate your everyday routine. If you feel overworked and under-accomplished, try to focus on what you feel fits your priorities. You may find it vastly relieving to see real progress, even you feel less busy than is socially acceptable. Although some of your business may be truly superfluous and deserve the cut, it is this standard of business pervading college life that really needs re-evaluating.
