Sometimes turning college into that experience you always wanted has its cons. For one, nobody ever tells you how hectic it can get, especially when you want to be, or actually are involved, in basically everything. Even if people do tell you how overwhelming it is, we all believe we can get through it, which we can and these moments can be amazing and the ones we come to cherish most, they also can be the roughest to balance. So, I’m here to say that it’s ok to not be ok! Schedules, especially day-to-day schedules, tend to get pretty stressful and there are times where you may not even be able to catch a break. People will tell you that you can get through it and you will, but sometimes you need to learn to ask for help, to turn down certain obligations, and to truly prioritize between what you want to do and what you need to do- even though that’s not always fun.
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As much as we may not want to listen to these things or resort to them, it’s necessary when trying to take care of yourself physically and mentally (which needs to be top priority) and to be completely honest, these are things that I, myself am still trying to figure out in order to get through the rest of this overwhelming semester. So, just know that you are not alone, but with that in mind, this doesn’t mean that your being on the verge of a breakdown is less important because there are others in your same shoes. Most times, a good cry or nap is completely what you may need in order to feel better and push you to overcome whatever it is you may be struggling with in you daily life.
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To reiterate, I am simply just a typical college girl who is trying to find her way through this path just like anyone else. With this in mind, I truthfully don’t have all the answers, but I do have some advice as to what may help ease your overall health on a hectic day where everything seems to be happening all at once and back-to-back. But, as a disclaimer, this is just what personally helps me, especially from what I have been trying to learn and lean on since my current situation is quite a bit for me to handle on my own. Therefore, solutions, guidance, and even de-stressors may appear and work differently for you, but if you have no idea where to begin on trying to find ways to ease your mind without easing your load, try out some of my suggestions and I hope one, or several, suit you!
1. Rely on a Support System
This suggestion can most likely get complicated if you’re anyway similar to me in that you don’t want anyone, especially those you love, to see how much you may be struggling with everything going on. But, this one is the major point that is important and essential to holding yourself together. Surrounding yourself by loved ones is necessary to getting through rough patches and as much as we would all like to believe that we can get through anything on our own, deep-down we all need our own personal cheerleaders who will inspire us and help us to get through these crazy, busy days. Support systems can come in the form of a friend(s), significant other, or even family member(s). We all need at least one person, who we trust, to lean on in order to vent, question, look out for us and our health, or even to help bring us back to feeling like ourselves again whenever we’re stuck in the mindset of constantly being on the run.
2. Rest When You Can
Sometimes we have so much on our plates that we may feel as if we don’t deserve to slow down, or to take a break. There may be times where we have tons of homework assignments due, tests to study for, meetings to attend, and events to plan, etc. and no there is never enough time in a day to get everything done and ensure that there is a balance with what you are achieving. But again, rest and insuring that you are giving yourself breaks is 100% necessary in order for you to work at your full-capacity. If your body and mind are racing at 120 mph, you’re going to have to stop and take a moment for yourself eventually because your body or mind simply cannot function consistently and at its highest extent 24/7. Even if it’s finding little moments throughout the day or in-between homework assignments, take some time to grab a snack, hydrate, take a nap- literally anything, as long as you are finding ways to calm yourself down and relax for those little moments. Many times, especially if you have writers block, a break is really all that is necessary in order to restore yourself and get back on-track.
3. Breathe
This suggestion kind of relates to the idea of resting whenever you find possible, but at the same time it deserves it’s own category because I cannot stress this one enough. Many times when we’re rushing through the motions of a stressful day, we do tend to forget even the most simplest of forms of taking care of ourselves, such as breathing. Breathing is especially important to remember during these rough, hectic days. Such a small act, such as focusing on your breathe and taking the time to just take in a big inhale and exhale can even make the slightest difference in your day.
4. Cry It Out
Honestly, with this point I immediately thought of our “Twisted Sisters” from Grey’s Anatomy, but rather than “dancing it out,” which is also a great idea to relieve yourself during one of those overwhelming days, we’re just going to go ahead and cry it out. As weird as it sounds, sometimes reaching that breaking point where you feel as if you can no longer handle all the obligations and responsibilities you agreed to and just completely having a breakdown, crying the ugliest cry you can possibly do, is significant. We all need that moment of just completely letting go and releasing the stress we have accumulated and held, bottled inside in order to feel better and like we can actually survive these times and achieve the things we need to once again. So, next time you feel yourself about to wail over everything going on, go for it and realize that it’s ok to not be strong and confident all the time, if anything that’s the weird standard around here.
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I’m not the perfect person. Like I said, I’m still learning as I go and sometimes I let the overwhelming times get the best of me and I don’t always follow my own suggestions because it’s not always easy. But, trust me, once you let yourself find what works best for you during these situations in order to feel as if you’re the one in control, things will begin to improve. So, with that being said here are some notes to myself and for all of you going through your own crazy times as well. Don’t just push people away, let them check up on you. Take a break from that essay in order to take a short nap because you deserve the rest and you can always get back to that paper once you’re refreshed. You can’t perform to your fullest extent if your not fed or hydrated. You’re doing your best, but take care of you while doing it, then you’ll be able to take on the world!
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Take care loves,
Jackie