College is a stressful environment; there is no denying that. You are going to be given projects, at times be overwhelmed with work, but your stress should not get in the way of you living the college experience.
You should be able to go out without freaking out. So here is my thought process when I become overwhelmed:
1. Take a deep breath, relax, you need to be able to think clearly about everything you have on your plate.
2. This might sound crazy, but logically what is the worst that could happen? You don’t study enough for the exam and fail?
3. Now logically think about that statement again. That’s IMPOSSIBLE! You’re studying right now! You’ve been studying for 2 days!
4. Have confidence in yourself. You know you’re going to get this work done. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO LET YOURSELF FAIL.
5. Take a break, take a walk, go out with your friends; do something other than worry about your life, because in the grand scheme of things you’re right on track and you know it.
This way of thinking might not help everyone, but it’s applicable to stress brought on in many different situations.
I moved a lot when I was younger and I moved to UC from Texas. I did not know a single person in Ohio, but logically thinking about the stress moving brought on lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.
“I’m going to school out-of-state. I don’t know anyone there. I’m not going to know anyone there ever. No one is going to want to talk to me. I’m not going to talk to anyone ever.”
“None of that makes sense because I’m confident in my ability to meet people and I have faith that I’ll find the right ones to be friends with.”
And I did.
Overthinking is your worse enemy when it comes to stressing, so take a deep breath and think about those five steps.