With exam season creeping in and due dates piling up, the time of year where I typically find myself looking for new ways to feel reinvigorated and reduce stress is approaching.
Usually, I’d waste hours scouring the internet for some strategy that would keep me calm, boost my grades, and give me my dream body all at once. The endless post after post of new diets, workouts, and study tips promising to change my life would crowd my feed. As much as I hate to admit it, I used to fall victim to every quick fix I could find. It was only until recently that I began to realize that there are simpler ways to handle stress and conquer this dreaded time of the semester.
As social media continues to thrive and new trends form daily, there is a common misconception that feeling overwhelmed or getting burnt out is a telltale sign that it’s time for a total rebrand—that the only way to correct what you are feeling is to alter every habit you have. While a change isn’t always a bad idea, I have learned in third year that sometimes you don’t need to reinvent yourself: you just need a girl’s night.
During peak midterm season, I reached a new level of exhaustion. It felt like every day a test or a paper was due, and it was the most academic pressure I had experienced in my university career so far. I truly wanted to give up. I wasn’t doing enough work, but I wasn’t taking care of myself either. That’s when I got it. Amidst this madness, a sense of normality washed over me as I opened my phone to a text in the group chat. Girls’ night tomorrow. 8 P.M.
Even though the possibility of a girl’s night initially felt like just another chore to complete, it ended up being exactly what I needed to start feeling like myself again. It became evident that I was not the only one struggling. Every one of my girls was facing their own overwhelming challenges. But as each hour of chatting, sipping wine, and room-filling laughter passed, these issues seemed to fade away. The never-ending back and forth of inside jokes, deep conversations, and advice sessions brought with it a sense of optimism—a belief that overcoming our anxieties and accomplishing our goals was more than just a far-fetched dream. It may not have magically made my assignments go away or stopped the next test from happening, but the positive impacts shone through in other ways.
After that one night of being with my girls, not only did I find myself becoming more productive, but I also felt an increased sense of emotional and physical stability. I was able to approach my assignments from a more positive and motivated perspective rather than an impending sense of doom and burn out. With this also came an increase in willpower. When studying became exhausting or assignments were more difficult than expected, I was able to remain calm and persevere rather than close my laptop and run away from the problem. My anxiety regarding school—and really every aspect of my life—was not as quick to take over my thoughts and actions.
During the stress of exam season, nobody feels like the best version of themselves. Taking these moments away from academic pressure to connect with friends will naturally allow you to decompress. Your friends will allow you to remember those parts of yourself that do not rely on the validation of a grade. So no, finding your center does not mean that you need to wake up at 5 A.M. and go to the gym. It does not require that you create a colour-coded study schedule and spend every waking moment reviewing. Sometimes, the most effective way to re-energize and refocus your mind is with an Uber Eats order and a night of ranting.
While a girl’s night may not necessarily get you further through that pile of work, it will give you the break that you need—the break that will allow you to regain control over your life without restructuring every aspect of it. When you are struggling, it is likely that your girls—the people who know you best—will be able to provide you with more comfort than anything you find online. Stress and exhaustion don’t mean that you need to be fixed. They mean you need to treat yourself to some supportive, not corrective, care. You never know how a girl’s night will go, but in my experience, it will always be more effective than a rebrand could ever be.