Depending on what day you read this, today is National Stress Awareness Day (and even if it isn’t anymore, it’s still valid) and this holiday is significant and should be widely recognized.
As college students, it is easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed. Between trying to balance classes, work, internships, clubs, a social life, and a healthy lifestyle it almost seems impossible not to get stressed out. Then, of course, there’s the immense pressure to think about our career which keeps getting closer and closer as the days pass. We’ve all been told this time and time again, but is really is true: don’t worry, it will all work itself out, because as the old saying goes, “worrying won’t stop the bad stuff from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good.”
Although I think every day should be Stress Awareness Day, because it is something that is all too important to only recognize on one day out of the year, use this day to think about your stress levels. While it’s normal to experience a certain amount of stress, there becomes a point where it begins to take over your life. There are several little ways to combat stress: like getting enough sleep, eating healthy meals, and prioritizing your time so that there isn’t a panicked rush when it comes time for that exam, interview, presentation, etc.
Appreciate the small things in life and take a bit of time out of each day to reflect and relax. I’m still working on this one myself, but you don’t want to get burned out and having a little ‘you’ time can help keep this from happening. Plus, we all deserve a little ‘me’ time in our lives.
Once again, use this day to think about the stress in your life and decide how to diminish it, fix it, and cope with it.