Some days, I sit down for 10 minutes and think about how busy I am.
Okay, okay, so what college student isn’t busy?
Between friends, homework, internships, classes, clubs — we’ve all got a lot on our plates.
It’s easy to lose focus on just how beneficial all of the things we’re doing are. A lot of the time, it’s tempting to just give up, to quit a club or to sit in bed all day and think about nothing.
But the benefits of being busy outweigh the costs — according to the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study, people with busier schedules tend to be faster at processing information, retaining memories and reasoning.
Not only do your cognitive skills increase, but so does your happiness, according to the Association for Psychological Science. Their research found that “people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit idly.”
Not only do all the clubs and the internships and homework help your brain, they also help you to socialize. Without the numerous clubs I’m involved in and the classes I take, I wouldn’t have any of the friends I have now. I’m sure that’s the same for most people. After all, we all need people to commiserate with about our tough schedules.
So, sure, it’s really easy to complain about how busy we are. But think about the alternative — pure, unadulterated boredom. And really, which is worse?
mcelfrdh14@bonaventure.edu
