How to avoid the guilt of going out

How to avoid the guilt of going out- whether you are going out loads and feel guilty for not doing work, or you are staying in and studying feeling massive fomo from your housemates, how to perfect the balance between uni and real life as easter dawns on us.

Is there a perfect balance of going out and staying in or is that just an unattainable goal? In my first few weeks at university (excluding freshers of course) I found myself being a house mouse, staying in instead of going out and watching as my phone filled with stories, posts and BeReals of everyone out enjoying themselves. 

The truth is I have never been the biggest fan of the clubbing scene (as my one Roar appearance this year can attest to) and yet I still found myself feeling as if I was missing something. As I listened to stories of people on their nights out and remained on the outside of inside jokes, I decided to start going out more and see how that compared. 

While there is no such thing as a perfect balance, as there will always be assignments, changes in mood, varying availability from those around you, and a million and one other factors, you can always try to find a work/life balance which works for you. 

If you really aren’t interested in going out, but still get hit hard by fomo, try making an appearance at pres. Sometimes, that strikes the perfect balance between being social and still getting your beauty sleep. Besides, chances are people won’t remember much after that anyway. Also don’t put too much pressure on yourself, the clubbing and drinking culture isn’t for everyone and that is perfectly normal. There is an attitude at uni that if you’re not hungover in your 9am or out dancing every weekend you’re “boring” or “missing out” but that simply isn’t the case. We all have different interests and priorities and that is perfectly healthy. 

However, if you have the opposite problem and fear you may be going out too often, the best way to scare yourself into some healthier habits is taking a glance at your bank account. While it strikes fear into me every time, it acts as a very humbling experience and may put you back on track to spend fewer nights in the Foundry and more in the IC. 

The danger of uni is you can go out any day ending in “y” but if you can do that and still function, I’m simultaneously impressed by and terrified of you. If the problem is volume, try and restrain yourself and remove just one day from your weekly habits and see how that compares. 

Also, if you have come down with a severe case of comparisonitis and feel guilty for not completing your work at the same time as someone else, don’t panic too much. Productivity is a funny thing and some people genuinely do work better under the stress of an impending deadline, so remember to be kind to yourself. 

There is no right way to navigate the difference between “uni” and “university” (the difference being the culture vs the academia) so whichever way you function during your time here, as long as you can look back with no regrets you are doing it right. 

Edited by Larissa Hurt