Confessions of a commitment addict

My name is Giles and I am a commitment addict. Before university I had definitely dabbled in commitment. I had tried out a couple of sports clubs, drama groups, even some volunteering work. I managed a balance, and I went to university determined to take part in societies but aware that I should not overwhelm myself.

Looking back, having now completed my BA, I realise that this was always going to be difficult. Between all the societies Warwick offers, the number of jobs you can get through Unitemps and my desire to write for any publication that would consider publishing my work, I was always going to end up with far too much on my plate. Warwick offers so many activities that if you committed 24 hours of your time to societies, five days a week, you would only have scratched the surface.

I wasn’t enjoying them and was projecting that lack of enjoyment onto fellow exec members

By the middle of my first year I was juggling half a dozen societies. I joined a couple of execs, feeling proud of myself in this brave new context. I went to some societies for socials and the people, others to submit my writing and others just say I’d tried it once. After all, where else can you try your hand at Octopush? Many decisions were spontaneous and led to events far beyond my imagining. I never thought I would see one of my plays performed in first year and then go to Turkey for rock climbing a week later. First year left me hungry for more, hungry to stretch myself. I was determined: I needed to be at the centre of societies.

Over time, I became desperate to fill every minute of my time at university. Reading was occasionally forgotten. I had sessions to plan. I wanted to be a role model for freshers, to encourage them to throw themselves into the wonderful world of commitment at Warwick. It was only in third year – when I found myself on three execs, with a part-time job and in a relationship – that I realised there was a problem. I was burning out and struggling to make all of my commitments. Once or twice I, admittedly, lashed out in aimless frustration. To this day, I regret things I said in the heat of the moment.

Everyone else may seem better at hiding their fears, but a poker face doesn’t cure anxiety

Commitments at Warwick are like chocolate, sex and Marxist ideology. No matter how good they seem, too much can be dangerous. Balance is key. Learning to compartmentalise is essential. Some societies will give you skills and training which will be useful but you may not enjoy the social side. That’s okay. You might only be interested in the social side of societies and nothing is wrong with that. It’s important to breathe. It is far too easy to cram so much into your timetable that you run out of time to think. When you’re thinking, you’re not doing, and when you’re not doing, how can you be having what are meant to be the best years of your life? Such is the thought process of a commitment addict.

At university, you will face existential problems. There’s imposter syndrome, fears for the future, anxieties about fitting in, homesickness. No one wants their time at university to be defined by any of those things. You want to be creating your future anecdotes and setting the groundwork for your accomplishments. Being busy makes you forget about your worries for a while, but when you burn out, then it will all come back and far worse. Don’t fill your time to escape worries, let activities be a helping hand. Societies will allow you to meet other people with similar interests to you and then you’ll realise that everyone at Warwick is terrified and going through similar experiences. Everyone else may seem better at hiding their fears, but a poker face doesn’t cure anxiety.

Getting involved in societies, volunteering and making spontaneous decisions are all great things to do at university. You can achieve so much here. Just make sure you balance your time, care for yourself and be aware of what you’re able to manage in your three or more years. It’s easy to go overboard but, if you find the right balance, you will sail smoothly.