Things can be difficult in first-year university. Adjusting can be difficult, and it isn’t made any easier by the numerous media outlets reminding you how difficult university is. Today, I want to talk to those of you curling up in bed, with a cup of tea, putting off your PoliSci reading, or your Bio notes, or whatever it is that Engineering does.
Chances are, there’s something “fun” (quotations necessary) that you could be doing. You could be out hanging with friends at the loudest club in town, doing shots of the worst alcohol you can find, with the creepiest guy legally available over-the-counter in Canada leering at you. But you’re not doing that. Why? Because quite frankly, that sounds absolutely terrible.
Is…Is this it? Am I engineering yet?
Sometimes it’s nice to just take a step back and breathe, and take a look at things from the macro-level. We have a community of driven individuals who also know how to have fun. It’s important not to get carried away with the work or the fun however, and to try to find balance between the two. Not to mention, there are plenty of support resources on campus that can help you if you’re finding yourself overworked or tired out.
Counselling and Psychological Services at UofT provides help for students who feel like they need to talk about a serious issue in their lives. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, seek out a friend whom you trust to just listen. Or if you don’t feel that a human could possibly understand, as I understand it, there are several therapy dog sessions around campus. Heck, if none of these appeal to you, send me a message. Honestly, though, if you need help – look for help. There’s absolutely no shame or judgement associated with it.
This could be you
There are certain steps we can take in our daily lives to manage stress. First, try to remember that even if you don’t have lectures that day, you should still be doing some work. Yes, it’s very impressive that you’ve crammed your schedule into four days, but that doesn’t mean you attend class Monday – Thursday and then goof off for three days. Go to your classes, do your readings, and don’t treat no-class days as no-work days.
Second, and bear with me here: maybe try to compartmentalize your friends. There. I said it. There is a time and a place to let your friends drag you every which way, and it is not the night before a test. If you keep Facebook open and your phone on while you’re studying, you’ll likely find yourself no longer studying within a few minutes. Study at one time, play at another.
It’s not enough to just come to university and lock yourself in your room for four years. But at the same time, there are cheaper options than attending university to find people to get blind-drunk with. There has to be some kind of balance between work and play, and maintaining that balance is key to staying mentally healthy. We’re young and brilliant, so let’s remember that. When you find yourself staring at that reading that makes no sense to you, or that problem set that might as well be written in Enochian, remember that you (yes, you) are brilliant.
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