{"id":985,"date":"2026-10-18T20:41:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T01:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/?p=985"},"modified":"2026-10-18T20:41:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T01:41:42","slug":"when-being-busy-starts-to-feel-like-falling-behind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/2026\/10\/18\/when-being-busy-starts-to-feel-like-falling-behind\/","title":{"rendered":"When Being Busy Starts to Feel Like Falling Behind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Betania Zelalem, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-Being Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As college students, I think a lot of us have gotten used to being busy. Between classes, work, extracurriculars, friendships, family responsibilities, and trying to figure out what we are doing after graduation, there is almost always something that needs our attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know for me, my schedule can get pretty hectic. There are times when I am going from class, to work, to another responsibility, while also thinking about assignments I need to finish and everything else I have coming up. Even when I finally have free time, sometimes it doesn\u2019t actually feel like free time because I am already thinking about what I should be doing next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something I have been learning, though, is that constantly being busy does not necessarily mean that I am being productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think there is a lot of pressure in college to always be doing more. Get good grades. Work. Join organizations. Get experience for your r\u00e9sum\u00e9. Exercise. Maintain friendships. Plan your career. Save money. Somehow get eight hours of sleep. And then, on top of all of that, make sure you\u2019re \u201cenjoying college.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can become exhausting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we become so focused on the next assignment, shift, exam, internship, or goal that taking care of ourselves becomes the thing we keep pushing to later. We tell ourselves, \u201cI\u2019ll relax after this week,\u201d but then another busy week comes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve realized that well-being doesn\u2019t always have to mean completely changing your lifestyle or having a perfect self-care routine. Sometimes it can be something as simple as giving yourself an hour where you aren\u2019t thinking about school. It can mean eating an actual meal instead of grabbing whatever is convenient, getting enough sleep before an exam instead of staying up all night, going for a walk, calling someone you care about, or saying no to something when you genuinely don\u2019t have the capacity for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing I am personally trying to get better at is not feeling guilty when I rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest can feel unproductive when you have a long list of things you want to accomplish. But I\u2019ve started looking at it differently. If I am exhausted, overwhelmed, or mentally checked out, forcing myself to keep going usually doesn\u2019t result in my best work anyway. Taking care of myself allows me to come back to my responsibilities with more energy and focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also think it\u2019s important to remember that struggling to balance everything doesn\u2019t mean that you aren\u2019t capable. Sometimes it simply means you have a lot on your plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

College is already challenging enough without constantly comparing your progress to everyone around you. Someone else\u2019s productive day, internship, GPA, graduation timeline, or career plan doesn\u2019t take anything away from yours. We are all dealing with different circumstances, even when we don\u2019t see them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019ve been feeling like you\u2019re constantly running from one thing to another, maybe this is your reminder to check in with yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself: When was the last time I did something that wasn\u2019t for school, work, my r\u00e9sum\u00e9, or someone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to earn rest by completely exhausting yourself first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your goals are important, but so are you. And sometimes taking a break isn\u2019t falling behind. Sometimes it\u2019s what allows you to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Betania Zelalem, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-Being Leader As college students, I think a lot of us have gotten used to being busy. Between classes, work, extracurriculars, friendships, family responsibilities, and trying to figure out what we are … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1762,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1762"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=985"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985\/revisions\/987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/wellbeing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}