Junior Year: Finding Balance

Lifestyle

October 16, 2022

I am mid-way into fall of Junior Year at Georgetown and this year has been a little different (I know that I’m mid-way because of the many many midterms that have been thrown my way). This semester and the start of Junior year have marked a big contrast in my college life, and of course, like most things in my life, I wanted to write about it on this blog.

College is this intense bubble of fun and work and it seems like you can never really surface for long enough to catch your breath, at least that’s what it felt like last year. Last year I felt as though I was constantly behind, going from one thing to the next, and not really getting the time to enjoy the things I love. This year I’ve been a lot better at creating a balance in my college life and I wanted to share some of the ways I’ve been doing that.

1. Valuing “non-academic” things as equally valuable

I’ve always had this issue with not feeling like I’m spending my time productively unless I’m doing something academic. For example, when I want to go for a walk or read a book outside I feel as though I’m sacrificing productive time to do something that’s not worthwhile. While it is important not to procrastinate, it is also important to factor in that non-academic things that contribute to your overall wellbeing and mark them as equally valuable!

2. Finding a balance between social and quiet moments

This might not be for everyone, but since I’m an introvert, I find that this has really helped me find balance this semester. I think something that happens to a lot of people when they first move to college or at least to a lot of internationals is that you don’t want to spend much time alone for the fear of feeling lonely. Because of this, I felt like I never really found a balance between social and quiet moments last year. However, this year I’ve been making more of an effort to find a balance between social and quiet moments. Sometimes on the weekends I just want to stay in and chill, other times I want to go out with friends. I’m feeling much more comfortable with my balance this year!

3. Getting away from campus

I don’t have family close by to go home to every few weekends, but I am lucky enough that my parents come visit a few times during the semester and I usually go meet them somewhere for the weekend. Last year, I would get really stressed out about leaving campus and would worry about taking time off from my normal study/activity schedule. I felt like by taking a break, I was missing out on things that I should be spending time on. However, this year I’ve been a lot more comfortable with leaving campus for the weekend or taking time off on the weekends to do something like going to visit a friend, going somewhere I’ve wanted to go etc… I’ve been able to find a balance between getting away from campus and being able to pick up on a routine when I get back.

4. Saying yes and saying no

This year I feel as though I’m a lot better at setting boundaries for what I want to spend time doing. I know that I need to carve out this portion of my day for this and another for that if I want to stay on track with feeling on top of school and just generally feeling happy. Last year I felt as though I would say yes to any plan and often that left me feeling like it was eating away at the time I had sectioned off for myself. Even if I’m not seeing as many people, the moments I am spending with people and the plans I am saying yes to are a lot more meaningful.


Those are a few things I’ve been doing this semester to feel like I have a better balance on my life this year! I hope that these things can also help you find that balance going into the winter which often feels super busy!

See you next week,

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