How to Balance Classes, Friendships, Self-Care
College life is an adjustment. There’s less structure throughout the day. Unlike high school, you’re no longer sitting through classes all day, with minimal time for afterschool clubs, sports teams, homework, and family dinners. This free time means more time for homework, friends, and for yourself. But, more time doesn’t necessarily mean commitments are easier to manage. Many first and second year college students experience increased pressure due to this freedom.
Time management is a key skill to develop in your college years. Not only will interviewers ask about this when you’re searching for summer internships, but you will experience a calmer and more stable daily mood when you incorporate this approach.
So What Does Time Management Look Like?
Keeping, updating, and checking a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. Whether it’s a Google Calendar or paper planner, be kind to yourself with the time you allow to get from one event to the next and be strategic and reasonable about how much you’re fitting into a week or a month.
Structured free time. Even if you don’t have class or a coffee date, you can devote a certain chunk of your day to tackling an assignment, completing assigned readings, or getting started on a job hunt.
Allowing for joy. If you know you have a tough week ahead, you can try to anticipate what you’ll want the coming Friday night or Saturday. Schedule an evening with friends to decompress or maybe your favorite workout class.
Communication. Let your friends and family know what your schedule is like and how that may affect their expectations from you.
What Does It Feel Like?
An ability to be present with your friends because you’re not in a rush to get somewhere else or stressed about an unfinished task.
A sense of peace and security that you can accomplish what you need to.
The power of foresight. Remember you can ask for an extension for a paper or reschedule a dinner if you can tell it’s just not going to be feasible.
And, Remember
Self-care is having a healthy routine.
It’s okay to reschedule. Life is unpredictable. Last minute things come up. Sometimes we have to be flexible.
It’s normal to have downtime. Lounge around and embrace it.
There will be a period of trial and error as you discover what you’re capable of.
Seek help from your professors, academic advisors, and friends. If you want extra support outside of your academic institution, consider working with a therapist at the Gluck Psychology Collective.
Thinking About Starting Therapy?
If you’re considering therapy, we’d love to support you.
Submit a contact form or email us at hello@gluckcollective.com to get started.
Feel free to explore our services menu and specialties to see if we click.
At Gluck Psychology Collective, we offer in-person and virtual therapy across NYC for anxiety, burnout, relationships, life transitions, trauma, self-worth, and identity development.
It is our goal to make therapy as affordable and accessible as possible —we are in-network with Aetna and offer reduced rate therapy as well.
If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Let’s talk about it.
