Under pressure: Balancing school plus going out on weekends can be too much

By Sydney Matthews | Staff Writer

If I could describe spring break as one thing, I would describe it as the calm before the storm. It’s the last week I have to chill before the final home stretch as summer comes closer. Although I’m excited as I look forward to the summer season, that also means my classes pick up their pace.

Personally, I have always had a bit of a problem with saying no to going out. I love spending time with my friends and it’s almost always a fun time.

Well, it’s fun until it’s 2 a.m. and I realize I have a project due the next day that I completely forgot about. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s a mood-killer.

During these last two months of school, I feel more pressured to go out with my friends every weekend because I want to spend as much time with them as possible before we all part ways for three months.

I constantly remind myself that putting off my schoolwork will actually make me more stressed. Although I don’t really care about that in the moment, I always regret it later.

This doesn’t mean I’ll never go out after spring break, because to be honest, I love my social life way too much to make any promises. But what I can promise is that I will be more mindful of my time these next few months. I encourage everyone to change their mindset to focus more on school, your GPA will thank you.

I also know how much pressure you can feel as the impending doom of leaving your friends is just around the corner. I know I will be going out to dinner and spending a lot of time with my friends still, but maybe not until 4 a.m.

Focusing on school is not all bad, you can still have a fun time with your friends but maybe in a different way. Try having more study dates or getting coffee with friends more frequently, because you’ll probably need the caffeine.

You don’t have to change anything about your lifestyle if you don’t want to because everyone is different. Work loads fluctuate for each person and burying your head in books is not for everyone. Work and life balance is important and whatever ways you choose to decompress and deal with stress is up to you.

My point is, don’t feel pressured to go out every weekend just because you feel like you have to, go out because you want to. Prioritize your time in this season and it will go a lot faster, and soon, summer will be here, and it will all be worth it.