“How many weeks left of school?” This question is frequently in my mind as the school days drag on and on. Some days I am lucky because the time seems to fly out of the window, but there are others who like to stick around forever. I am currently counting down the seconds until summer hits and I am able to go home and enjoy the sunshine with no fear of missing homework or another unavoidable test (or as college likes to call them “quiz”).
Sometimes life throws as many hurtles as possible towards us and it feels like there is nothing anyone can do about them. I am currently taking four classes, participating in five clubs, pledging (which is another class), as well as working to have some cash on the side. Somehow, I am able to survive my chaotic life, but I am approaching the point of freaking out over everything and possibly forgetting something. I am not alone as there are others like me who are overwhelmed and need some help calming down.
The best thing to do is to take a deep breath and step back from everything. Look at everything from distance and see what is going on. Most of the times there are a lot of overlapping elements and it is difficult to distinguish one from another. The first action I took was getting a planner, which turned into two and then into three. It may seem a bit of an overkill, but it has helped me tremendously. I have one for my personal life, a hard copy planner for school, and a homework app also for school. The app is able to alert to about anything I may have forgotten to do and the hard copy planner is so I can write anything extra that happens in class without getting in trouble (like those who try to take out your phone to get any extra information they throw at you).
Ask for help. I know there are people who may not enjoy asking others for help when they are stressed, but there is nothing wrong with asking. To the little voice that is saying, “Yes there is! I am an independent individual who can figure out my life without others!” is completely wrong and delusional. I quieted that voice a long time ago after realizing I was struggling in my academic and social life. Once I let others know what was going on I was able to get a better handle on the situation and become more productive. There is nothing wrong with reaching out for help. I can’t emphasize this enough.
Worst case scenario cut down on an aspect of your life or a bit of everything. There are a lot of opportunities to do stuff that you love, but having too many commitments can put a stress on all of them by you not being your best self. Thankfully, I have not had to cut any ties yet, but that is because I was lucky that the clubs I am a part of meet for a minimal amount of time and are more independent, so there is less of a need to put hours at a time aside for them. Despite me not needing to put some stuff to the side, there are others who want to do it all and are losing sleep or failing in a class because they can’t achieve everything before their body and mind give out to sleep. Don’t be afraid to let go for a while because if you really enjoyed it, you could go back in a heartbeat. No one wants to quit a club, but know that education and other priorities come first. We can’t have it all, but we can have a lot which is more than anyone could ask for.