Balance

Going to college during a pandemic is a lot harder than everyone thought it would be. The universities and professors are doing their best to make it as normal as they can, but that is really hard to do! Lots of students are struggling with the added amount of school work that comes along with the pandemic (i.e. watching extra lectures, doing additional readings and spending more time studying), myself included!

The majority of my classes meet twice a week, so I’m usually online for one of them and in person for the other. But a lot of my professors require that their students watch a lecture before class, and then the actual class time (whether on zoom or in person) is reserved for questions and review. In theory, it sounds great, but in reality, it makes a lot more work for students. It is extra time, usually accumulating to hours, that the students have to spend on school work.

All of the extra work can really take a toll on your mental health and it isn’t talked about enough; there are ways to overcome this stress and anxiety.

I found that the best way to cope with this change is finding a sense of balance. A lot of my classes only meet once a week in person, if that! I think that time in the classroom is really important. Having online classes is also nice because I have some more downtime before and after class. It gives some more flexibility in my daily schedule. It’s important to focus on school, but it’s also important to remember to have fun, and it’s nice to have this extra time to do so.

My roommates and I wanted to do something that would take our mind’s off of homework and studying, so we started doing movie nights! It’s the best thing we could have done. There's nothing better than hanging out with your roommates on a random Tuesday night and watching a hilarious movie before going to bed. We’ve watched everything from comedy shows to cheesy Netflix originals.

There was another day that we just went into town impromptu. We grabbed coffee earlier in the day and then Colony Grill for dinner. We all got our own small pizza so we could have dinner for the next day (leftovers are the best thing in a college dorm room). We sat on the town green, laughed, and ate. It was so much fun to get our minds off of school for a while, just relax, and have a change of scenery. 

Finding a balance between important things in your daily life is super important when trying to maintain a happy lifestyle. Going out to dinner, the beach, doing a photoshoot, shopping, the list is endless.

The most important thing in life is to be happy, no matter what. Always prioritize that first, then everything else will fall into place. Good luck!

Xx Emma