Ever feel like Georgetown is a never-ending game of “how much can I possibly do before I break”? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Georgetown University, with its rigorous academics, vibrant social scene, and plethora of extracurricular activities, can often feel like a pressure cooker, pushing students to attain perfection in all facets of life. However, in this pursuit of the unattainable, we end up sacrificing our well-being, leading to stress, exhaustion, and dissatisfaction. But what if the key to thriving at Georgetown wasn’t about going all in on each area of our lives but rather finding a more balanced approach to navigating the many demands on our time?
At Georgetown, it is easy to slip into a cycle of extremes. This could include spending entire days without seeing the sun, cooped up in a Lau 4 cubicle, or going out for nights on end, leaving that Monday 9:30 a.m. class to act as a brutal wake-up call. This unhealthy cycle applies to all aspects of life: spending your savings on one M Street shopping spree may lead to new wardrobe additions, but what’s the point if it makes you cancel dinner plans because you drained your budget on that dress? Signing up for 7 a.m. workout classes and hitting Yates everyday may seem like a great way to stay in shape, but it can leave you feeling a little too drained to enjoy time with friends or be fully present in class.
This “all or nothing” mentality leads to one major consequence: a lack of sleep. When schedules get busier, sleep often seems to be the first thing that students are willing to sacrifice. According to the National Library of Medicine, 70% of college students do not get enough sleep. Without the seven to nine hours of rest that our bodies need, completing daily tasks becomes harder. This lack of sleep, coupled with a life of extremes, has severe consequences on our health, both physical and mental.
Sleep health is not just about getting sufficient sleep every night––it’s also about maintaining a regular sleep schedule. An irregular sleep schedule negatively impacts our metabolism, daily energy levels, and ability to cope with stress. I know what you’re thinking: having a completely regular sleep schedule is almost impossible, especially as a college student. But remember, this is all about balance. If you can take one or two steps to bring more regularity to your sleep schedule, you will improve your sleep quality and, therefore, your day-to-day energy levels.
These steps can be simple: setting a strict bedtime on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays is a great way to bring more sleep regularity to your life while still participating in social activities on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday nights. If sleep health interests you, consider investing in one of the plethora of devices that track sleep health. Aura Rings, WHOOPs, and so many others provide sleep data that will show you just how important sleep is to your well-being.
With a better sleep schedule to support yourself, you can go about restoring balance in the rest of your life. This may seem much easier said than done, but I have outlined a few steps we can all take to ease out of our habit of living in extremes.
First, make a list of priorities. Don’t load your daily to-do list with every single assignment, task, and email you need to complete. Instead, create a more realistic and approachable list for yourself by placing the most urgent tasks at the top of the list. If you don’t make it to the bottom of the list each day, that’s ok! Forgive yourself, get some rest, and keep going tomorrow.
Second, schedule breaks for yourself. Giving yourself space to relax each day is essential to sustainable success. Each day, it is important to set aside some time purely for yourself. This could be getting outside and taking a walk, calling a family member, or treating yourself to your favorite Blank Street matcha.
Third, make sure you are eating well! Fueling your body is essential to your performance in every aspect of life. It is easy to forget to eat meals or simply grab a snack from Vittles or Hoya Snaxa, but eating a real meal will benefit you more than you know.
Fourth, maybe consider ditching that caffeine-packed energy drink. Trust me, I am a victim of a late-night Celsius every once and a while. But realizing just how much caffeine you consume on any given day might shock you: many college students consume around 400-500 mg of caffeine a day. And now, with a more regulated sleep schedule, you won’t need nearly as much caffeine to get you through the day!
Last, but certainly not least, don’t be so hard on yourself. We often hold ourselves to ridiculously high standards, thinking that we need to excel in every aspect of college life—our academics, social life, fitness, and everything in between. However, it’s important to remember that perfection is an illusion. We are all human, and it’s okay to have days when you’re not at your best. Embrace the idea that doing your best doesn’t always mean doing everything, and sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is to allow yourself to rest and recharge. By giving yourself permission to take breaks, to make mistakes, and to not be “on” all the time, you start to create a more sustainable and healthy approach to your Georgetown experience.
The moral of the story is that there are simply not enough hours in the day to be the best at everything college has to offer. Maybe it’s time to rethink the “all or nothing” mentality. At Georgetown, we need to start cutting each other some slack, but more importantly, we need to cut ourselves some slack. The key to thriving here isn’t about doing everything perfectly—it’s about finding the balance that allows us to do our best without losing ourselves in the process.
