It’s okay to not be ‘busy’ all the time
Here’s a challenge: say no.
It’s a busy time of year, we know. The career fair is around the corner, summer program applications are opening up and midterm season is upon us. With the looming threat of multiple exams and essays, prioritize yourself.
We’re saying this because we are also guilty of it. As we write this editorial, some of us are fretting over post-graduate plans, while others are bouncing between three simultaneous meetings.
We should stop taking pride in not sleeping the recommended eight hours a night. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice health for the sake of adding yet another club, sport or leadership position to our resumes.
We know that Rice is small and, often, few people have to do a lot.
But perhaps we pick up more things to do in our free time to feel like we’re truly involved, to make use of our time or just to feel busy. We look at those around us who are creating great things and beat ourselves up because we don’t feel as if we’re putting in the effort that makes us worthy of being students at Rice. Imposter phenomenon is real, and it’s not an easy thing to process.
It’s easier said than done, but we encourage our readers to find their passion and commit to it — anecdotally, we find doing one thing well to be more satisfying and more impactful on one’s resume than being overcommitted to many clubs. Resist the culture of busyness. Take a nap. Put down your phone and go for a walk. Worrying about the next assignment on your list or a club activity coming up is a normal, human thing – but it’s also okay to set aside your worries for a while.
Imposter phenomenon and the cult of busyness are difficult to address because of how shameful it can feel to admit you’re struggling. However, sharing how you’re feeling with friends is not only a science-backed way to feel better, but can help dispel these myths in your own social circles. If someone you know is sharing their struggles, reserve judgment.
The Wellbeing and Counseling Center offers free therapy and counseling services for students who are concerned about their commitments or just need someone to listen. If you’re a freshman, you’ll recall your panelists and moderators for Healthy Relationship Talks — advisors who spoke on those panels precisely to show you’re not alone in your struggles. Talking and listening to others about their struggles isn’t a sign of weakness or shame at all. Neither is declining a task to stop yourself from being overwhelmed, or just because you don’t want to.
In this busy time of year, we encourage you to forge a different path than one that eats away at your wellbeing. Part of our culture of care also means that there is no judgment if someone chooses not to do something, even if everyone else is doing it.
Cut out the extra noise. If we were to say it colloquially: Chill out.
More from The Rice Thresher
Students should prioritize American patriotism
A threat to American values has grown rapidly in recent years: the anti-war movement’s shift to an anti-military stance, calling for divesting from, and in effect dismantling, the defense industrial base. The hyperbolic language found here should alarm Rice students because the U.S. military needs those same companies to develop critical technologies in the functioning of U.S. defense.
Consider ethics while designing AI major
From a little-known concept among researchers to generating summaries with every Google search, artificial intelligence’s accessibility has skyrocketed over the past decade. However, its innovation comes at a cost. Training ChatGPT-3 was estimated to generate 552 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, more than the emissions of 559 flights from London to New York. Artificial intelligence can also steal from artists and reproduce racist biases from its data sets.
Abortion is still an option, despite harmful restrictions
Preventable deaths, rising maternal mortality rates, threats to contraception and state-sponsored deception. This is the reality in Texas, two years after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.