I have spent the last few weeks doing a huge reflection of myself.
I like to do this relatively often, as it helps me gather my thoughts and rework the way I am going about my work and my life.
During this reflection, I have noticed and accepted some of the most daunting things that I am currently struggling with.
I think it is important to really sit down and think about the things you need to work on within yourself from time to time.
I feel as though we are often scared to do this because we may think we are failing in certain aspects, but really, we need to accept failure before we can become better.
Through this reflection, I have learned that the one overarching thing I have found myself struggling with is balance.
As college students, we can all relate to having trouble figuring out how to balance all of the different things we are required to do at this stage in our lives.
For example, we all have classes that we strive for excellence in, some of us have jobs that require our time and effort and we have to keep our own health, both mental and physical, in check in order to keep moving forward.
This is obviously a lot for any person to handle.
I think that having all of these responsibilities can become extremely overwhelming very quickly, especially when you add in the fact that a majority of college students are away from home.
Throughout my time here, I have found myself struggling with balance most often.
I have trouble learning how to divide up my time in ways that are beneficial not only for my classes and work schedules, but for my own well-being.
I feel like I try extremely hard to look as if I have everything together, but that is not always the case.
Honestly, it is rarely the case at all.
What is important to realize, though, is that it is completely OK to not have it all figured out right now.
It is OK to still be learning how to balance the weight of all of my different responsibilities.
College is a major time for learning, as most students have not experienced anything similar to college-life in the past. Everyone is learning how to cope with the stress that students face on a daily basis.
One way that I have been able to take control of the stress I face is having a person you go to when you are feeling overwhelmed. This may be a parent, a best friend or even a counselor.
Having a support system is one of the most beneficial ways to gather your thoughts and then release them into the world in a healthy way so that they are no longer weighing you down.
Learning how to balance life does not have to be a one-person job.
You can reach out to those you care about and who care about you in order to work through the stress.
Having people to fall back on is absolutely essential.
For now, I will continue to work to keep everything together through the rest of the semester to the best of my abilities and I hope everyone else can do the same.
HARLEE BOEHM
