What to Do Now That You’re a Senior
So, unlike many of my other pieces, I can’t really dish out specific advice. I’m becoming a senior just like the rest of you, so staying on top of all my tasks, relationships, activities, and academics as well as planning for the terrifying, ever-approaching future is honestly a mystery to me; I’m writing this for myself as much as I’m writing it for you. However, panicking doesn’t help anyone. Sure, we have to take the hardest classes of our academic careers while working part-time, organizing and engaging in our extra-curriculars, and making sure we can get a job after all that. But we don’t have to sweat it. Here’s how I think we can totally, like, not have anxiety attacks all the time.
Step One: Take a step back
This might be the hardest part of the whole ordeal. It’s so difficult to try to separate yourself from the overwhelming amount of stuff you have going on. But when everything is getting to be too much(you know that feeling), it’s integral that you step back from the damage. Do whatever you need to do to calm down, be it exercise, practicing mindfulness, meditation, art, writing, etc. You know what works for you. And if you don’t, here’s a nifty link with some methods to try: https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-calm-down#1.
Step Two: Assess the situation
Once you’ve stepped back, you have a clearer view of what’s going on. Figure out what’s causing you so much stress, why you’re procrastinating so much, or why you’re breaking down because you couldn’t calculate a tip correctly. It could be one thing or many things. Don’t let it faze you, but get to the bottom of the situation.
Step Three: Prioritize
After figuring out what’s wrong, you need to create a way to deal with it. Again, this step can be different for everyone. I’m a huge fan of lists, but I’ve found I get too stressed if I only give myself x amount of time to complete something (I’ve always faltered under a timer). Instead, I just make a master list of everything I need to complete, separated into 2 columns: homework and everything else. I know I’ll get things done to the best of my ability in my own time. But some people prefer to structure their days with 3 hours to study for a test and 30 minutes to eat dinner and if that works for you, go for it. Or maybe lists and schedules don’t work for you at all. In any case, you know what you need to do to remember your tasks and break everything down.
Step Four: Actually do it
Once your list is created or your plan is laid out, you need to actually #justdoit. That wave of relief you feel after Step Three won’t last long. Get to work as soon as you can so you can finish everything. If you’re anything like me, you procrastinate however long you can because you know what needs to get done willget done (no matter the cost to your sleep, health, sanity, etc.) Even though you’re still technically completing all your tasks, that is certainly not a good way to go about it. The side effects (extreme fatigue, illness, mood deterioration) are real and not worth it.
In conclusion, I have no idea how to be a senior successfully or even how to be a senior, period. But with the inevitable freak-outs and 2 am stress sessions looming ominously on the horizon, these steps may help you (and me) from believing our lives are over before we’ve even graduated.