My Biggest Piece of Advice

This semester has been busier than ever. When I have said this in the past, there is a sort of jovial tone to it, a subtle undertone that I am happy and doing many things. But as this semester wears on, I grow ever weary of being busy. I long for nothing more than the ability to sit down without a care in the world and do nothing, or  more accurately, to do things without purpose or requirment.

Every aspect of my life is busier than it was, and I never really considered myself idle last year. I am taking five wonderful courses, but they all demand more time than any of my previous classes. I sincerely enjoy RAing in Maywood Hall, but I can admit that RAing in a building is more stressful than my two houses full of upperclassmen last year.This year also brought additional responsibilities in my extra-curricular life. Rather than just attending Stitch Club, STIR, or Student Council, I hold some form of leadership position in each. Then I am also doing work outside of school; I have an internship and some extra odd-jobs I am currently working on. Not to mention, this year has been the most difficult for me on a personal level. Two of my older but closer relatives have passed away within the past four months. My uncle, who I deeply care for, did something inexplicable and is now incarcerated. My mother just had a very difficult pregnancy that culminated in a very difficult birth, but which luckily gave me a beautiful little brother, William. My father, who pays my college tuition, was laid off. I could spend pages enummerating family trials and traumas, but honestly, I think it would bore you all and just make me depressed.

The time that isn't eaten up by school, work, clubs, and family is spent eating, working out, trying to squeeze in a few hours with my friends who I feel like I have been severly ignoring, or catching up on sleep. Those moments not taken up by necessities are far and few between. I spend the few spare seconds I have between classes writing lists of the remaining things I have to do for the day and figuring out when I will be able to get it all done and finally go to bed.

For once, I really feel I have absolutely no down time. Podcasts and TV shows remain unlistened to and unwatched. Friend's text messages go unanswered except for the late "I am sorry but I just have too much to do." I haven't done laundry in two weeks, which once was a rarity but is now the norm. I don't have time to keep my room in order. I keep getting sick. I know I look tired.

I know what this means:  something must give. I cannot continue to bemoan my status of perpetual overworked business if I do not give up some of the things I do. My issue is that I can see no way of doing so without bringing on myself consquences that I find worse than being stressed and overburdened.

So I will wait out this semester, counting the moments until everything will all be done because all of it has to be done by the deadline. But don't do what I am doing. I have found my breaking point and must anxiously linger precariously close to the edge. My advice which I give  to everyone:  don't push yourself that far. Know your limits and stay comfortably away from them. What I am doing isn't sustainable. If this semester has taught me anything, it is knowing when something is too much for you and being comfortable with saying so.