Written by Emma

One thing that’s hard about being a college student is balancing student life and time for yourself. Making time for yourself means a moment to de-stress and indulge in your hobbies. I’m sure everybody knows the struggles of wanting to do something fun like play a game but having so many assignments that you (unfortunately) have to prioritize them instead. I know I definitely have. 

Before coming to Radford, I had so much free time. I could play whatever games I wanted whenever, work on my projects, or binge 10 episodes of House MD in one sitting. Now, I have a work study job, classes every single day of the week, and additional appointments on top of all that. Next semester, I’ll be even busier. How am I ever meant to time find for myself among all the chaos!? 

If you are also dealing with the troubles of balancing your student life and your hobbies, allow me to provide what little advice I do have. 

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1. Make time for yourself. 

I know it seems impossible to find time for yourself within the busy schedule of a college student, but I promise you can do it if you plan correctly. If you keep a consistent schedule, you’ll be able to plan ahead and create time. Somewhere in your schedule there is an open block of time that’ll be perfect to utilize for yourself. 

Since utilizing time for yourself is purposefully meant to be a way to de-stress, don’t make it even more stressful by forcing time in. Eventually, a natural block of time will show up somewhere. Maybe you thought you’d spend much longer writing an essay than you actually did, making the block in your schedule much shorter than you planned. There’s your naturally occurring free time, perfect for indulging in yourself! 

2. Try new hobbies. 

It seems counterintuitive to adopt new hobbies when you don’t already have time for your current ones, but the issue may lie in the fact that your current hobbies don’t merge well with your busy schedule. Rather than dedicating your time to watching 3-hour long movies, maybe try crocheting for 30 minutes a day or doing some creating writing for 15 minutes. Through experimentation you’ll find something that fits in your schedule, and it might be something that you enjoy more than what you were trying to shove in before. 

3. Don’t force yourself! You’re allowed to drop hobbies. 

I know it seems horrible to drop a hobby that you may have already sunk a bunch of time, money, and effort into, but sometimes it’s for the best. If you’re not enjoying yourself or it simply doesn’t work with your schedule, dropping the hobby altogether will ultimately cause you 

less stress than continuing on with it. Once again, don’t make what is meant to be your de-stress time stressful. The last thing a busy college student needs is more stress. 

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Clearly, there will always be a way to make time for yourself, it might just require a bit of patience to find the time. Hobbies are a great way to relax and let off some steam in your free time, so don’t let them become so overwhelming that you can’t do them! You deserve some you time, and I know you can find a way to make it happen! Good luck out there, keep it up!