5.3 What Does It Mean to Find Balance as a College Student?

Finding balance is about successfully incorporating all the things that are most important to you, including those that increase your wellbeing; however, finding balance doesn’t mean always doing the same amount of everything that’s important to you. Prioritizing certain things means setting boundaries and saying no to other things, even things that may also have value. Achieving balance often involves making decisions between competing values. Every time you say yes to doing something, you’re simultaneously choosing not to do something else during that time. It’s important and sometimes necessary to say no to opportunities—or at the very least, get into the habit of considering your priorities and schedule before accepting an invitation or committing to something new. Ask yourself, how and where will this fit? Does it align with the priorities I’ve currently set? What will I need to let go of or modify in my life in order to add this? Time is a resource, much like money, and you can consider where and how you spend it to be an investment. After examining where and how your time is spent, are you sure you are investing in what is most important to you right now?

Student Perspectives: What Does It Mean to Find Balance as a College Student?

Video Transcript

An important aspect of maintaining balance across priorities is realizing that priorities change, and what is most important now may not necessarily be what is most important five years from now, or even at the end of this term. Your priorities will continually change, which means that you will continually re-adjust the way you spend your time and apply your effort based on your current life circumstances; certain things will get more of your focus than others from time to time. Ideally, by normalizing a practice of continually reevaluating and readjusting the way you spend your time, you won’t go too long without addressing each of the dimensions of wellbeing. For example, consider ways how you spend your time has changed over the past six months? What successes have you had by making changes? Where do you see opportunities for improvement?