Being a full time student and part time employee can be pretty strenuous, especially when your boss calls you into work and you realize that you have multiple exams and papers due within the same week. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself to be stressed out to the point of no return. I had exams, interviews and work that I was drowning in and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to come back up for air.
I was scheduled to work third shift a couple nights in a row, and while working, I had to find time to squeeze in some studying because I either had an exam, or a paper due in class the following day. Not only did I have school work and my outside job to focus on, but I was also dealing with going through the interview process to be an RA here on campus. Things were starting to get pretty hectic for me, and I felt as if everything was hitting me at once. I was no longer sure if I would be able to pull off everything. I wanted to just gather up all of my papers and toss them.
But then, I thought to myself: it’s just one tough week. I CAN push through this. If I can just get through this heavy week, then I can positively and happily welcome the new one! One week, 7 days…I can get past this!
I used to be very tough on myself and because of this and I always felt helpless. I would give up on tasks that seemed to be way too difficult for me, and if I got around to completing them, there would probably not be any effort put into them. However, with time, I learned to push through my situations because hey! Things can get better! Of course, there are times where I want to shove myself into a little corner and not do anything but then I stop, and tell myself, “You are AMAZING. You are HARD-WORKING. You are a BOSS and YOU CAN GET THIS DONE.” And after my little pep talk, I put on my big girl pants and go out and kick some butt.
Words cannot begin to describe the relief that I felt when the week was over. There are also no words to describe how accomplished I felt to know that I put in as much effort as I possibly could, and a large amount of my outcomes were pretty positive.
So if you are feeling stressed out and don’t know what to do, stop, breathe, and DO NOT WORRY YOURSELF TO DEATH. If you have to, take a breather. It is okay to take a break and it is okay to relax. Squeeze in a nap, you’ll need it! You do not want to overstress yourself, and you definitely don’t want to put an immensely large load on your shoulders.
You can get through this stressful time because you are bada**! Never underestimate yourself. You can do ANYTHING that you set your mind to. Yes, there will be tough days, but those are the days that help shape us, and help make us stronger. Before you know it, you will have gotten your tasks out of the way, and when you do, make sure to give yourself a round of applause because you deserve it.
Remain positive and never lose motivation, Collegiettes! You got this!