Portland, OR
For this blog post, I will share tips and tricks I try to use to find balance while tackling multiple things. Currently, I am a junior in college while growing my freelance photography business, taking on a youth group leadership role, while also pursuing two jobs. You can imagine things may pile up a little bit, but with a good flow going and some organization, it is doable. You can make it work also if you’re juggling a heavy load!
Introduction | September, 6th, 2021
Are you overwhelmed, anxious or stressed because you are trying to figure out how to balance a lot of things at once? I get it! Being an entrepreneur while juggling college at the same time, I understand it can be a real challenge to find balance. Bluntly, my secret is it comes down to prioritizing work life, social life, pursuing your brand, trying to grow, and managing self care. From my experience, it has not been easy figuring out the best way to navigate through college while also maintaining a healthy mind and body, but that does not mean it has not been impossible. In this post, I will share the things that have benefitted me along the way. Hopefully it will offer you some help on your own journey.
Trust the Process
I struggle with patience. Growing up I will always remember my Grandpa telling me every other day, “Marcos, patience,” or, “Marcos, patience is a virtue.” At the time, I didn’t understand or adequately appreciate his message. I always jump when an opportunity presents itself regardless of the risk. I take on a lot of things because I genuinely enjoy the challenge and keeping myself busy. But the initial excitement eventually fades. Why is that? Stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Something I realized quickly in my first two years of college and while being an entrepreneur is that you can't please everyone nor give everybody the same amount of energy. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it is necessary to be a little selfish and take a step back to reflect, learn to say no to potential obligations and honestly evaluate if you are ok. Take care of yourself, try scheduling some naps throughout the day, workout or escape in a movie. For me, I tend to squeeze in naps and go get some exercise. The goal is to try and accomplish this first before anything else otherwise you WILL crash. When it comes to finding balance, it is crucial to take the time to self-reflect on what you personally need. {That way, you can fully utilize resources around you if you have access to them to help with the process.}
Some tools/tips I utilize to self-reflect when feeling overwhelmed include :
My calendar app on my iPhone
With the calendar app on my phone it makes it easier for me to stay organized and feel balanced because it is hard to avoid what events occur each day.
Alarm / Reminders app on my iPhone
This tool reminds me of the number of commitments I have even when I’m confident I will remember them. I also track events through this feature that I need to be a part of at the moment. This is so crucial because as an entrepreneur and college student, things can pile up quickly.
Printing out / Downloading your class schedule
For classes, I print out my schedule and keep it with me in my binder. I also keep a PDF document in my phone and have it on my laptop in an open tab to ensure I track all of my classes so I do not feel lost. At my university, I will be a junior and even then, I find it very important to have your schedule with you at all costs.
When trying to practice these things, expect to make mistakes. Just remind yourself you are human and all will be okay. Trust the process because any time of growth is a time of learning to stretch.
Knowing Your Limits
Looking back at my first two years of college, I realize one thing. I wanted to try and do everything and get involved, and that also came with wanting to please everybody around me, whether I knew them well or not. That became very draining, so the summer before my junior year, I put into practice new ways to learn to say no to certain obligations. I made a commitment to respect my limits.
When you get an understanding of your limits, it helps you figure out how to remain balanced.
What Helped Me
While navigating through my first two years of college, trying to adjust to the new lifestyle, two things helped me: counseling and reaching out to mentors. If you want to learn how to find a mentor, or you consider seeking mentorship, click here.
Initially, I was stubborn about considering counseling because I didn’t know what to expect although I did have many preconceived ideas. After I took a couple of sessions, I found it extremely helpful to open up and talk more about what I was experiencing. It made a tremendous difference. A lot of people may not have access to a counselor. However, if you do, I highly recommend taking advantage of mental health services.
Personally, I struggle with anxiety which would have my mind spinning everywhere leaving me feeling unbalanced and not fully focused. However, my scheduled sessions through my University eased my anxiety and helped me focus. By talking to a counselor I was able to identify goals and a plan to get myself organized and put things to practice. It felt really good and my confidence grew by leaps and bounds.
The other helpful thing that benefited me was reaching out to those who I knew cared about me, whether that be family, close friends or mentors. I found that receiving different perspectives and pieces of advice helped put my mind at ease. It is amazing what feedback and what certain advice can do to completely shift your whole mindset about a situation.
Conclusion
Prioritize time for yourself to take a minute if there are too many things going on at once. It is highly important to make sure you are taken care of - I can’t stress that enough. Like I mentioned previously, identify tools that will work for you. In addition to that along try and do your best to carve out time to do things you truly love. For myself, photoshoots, writing these blogs, getting out, and spending time with friends makes all the difference.
At the end of the day, we are all different in terms of what we go through, however we all need strategies and resources to thrive. If you are having a problem with balance, prioritize the to do list, identify tools to use as resources, and reach out for help.
Everything is going to be ok, trust the process
Try counseling to help with goal setting and planning
It is ok to say no, and step back for yourself
Know your limits
Expect mistakes, search for them so you can grow and learn
Let's connect! I am happy to be a resource of many and I am always down for networking. Below are some ways how :