To my fellow stressed students,
You have a quiz and a presentation on Monday, an essay due Tuesday and a big exam on Wednesday that you will likely not begin studying for until Tuesday night after you have handed in the previously mentioned essay. Sound familiar? While college is commonly referred to as the best four years of our life, they are also unarguably some of the most challenging. Successfully managing the college workload, other obligations and learning how to live on your own/be an adult is no easy task.
Please remember that your health is always more important than your grades. That may sound obvious, but in reality we all know how easy it is to forget when you have a planner filled with responsibilities demanding your immediate attention. However, your mental and physical wellbeing really should be taking priority over that 15 page lit review you are still working on at 2 a.m.
Make sure that you are taking care of yourself. This includes getting enough sleep and eating well. Be sure that you also make the time to relax, unwind and simply breathe. If you can’t even remember the last time that you logged into Netflix, take this as a sign that you need to bump “relax” to the top of your to-do list, pronto.
Remember that it is not the end of the world if you sleep through your alarm and end up missing a class. Your life will not be over if you fail an exam. As someone who pushes herself to do well on everything all of the time, this is something that I am still working on fully internalizing. Doing poorly or making a mistake doesn’t mean you are a failure. It means you are human.
Occasionally, the stress of trying to constantly juggle assignments, a job, relationships, clubs (and the list goes on…) will overtake you. If you reach a breaking point, allow yourself to break. This is a necessary first step before you can build yourself back up. Contrary to popular belief, crying is not a sign of weakness; it is healthy and a sign of strength! Giving yourself permission to break down means that you know yourself well enough to recognize your limits. You understand the healing properties of tears and are not afraid of your emotions. These are all good things, so do not be afraid to let your stress out when you feel the need to.
That being said, nobody wants to be constantly falling apart. Luckily, there are things that you can do to keep yourself feeling strong and capable. One secret that I swear by is laughing every single day. It is pretty much impossible to feel angry, sad or anxious while you are laughing or making someone else laugh. Instead of getting upset about an unfair professor or a ridiculous assignment, I am in favor of joking about the situation. Laughing makes everything seem so much easier and will keep you feeling happy and in-control.
I also suggest talking to people who are experiencing the same stressors! On a campus of over 32,000 students (all of whom are probably currently dealing with some level of stress), this should not be too difficult. The friends that I have in my cohort for my major have become such a solid and incredible support system. We are always there to give each other help, advice and when necessary, emotional support. Since we are taking all of the same classes, we usually have a lot of the same reasons for being stressed. Building connections with people who are experiencing similar things can be lifesaving because it will remind you everyday that you are not alone!
Above all, remember that it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed (especially as we get closer to the end of the semester). College is hard! But know that you are doing amazing simply by being here, going to class and taking these necessary steps towards your degree. I believe in you and I’m proud of you. And the good news is that there are only a few more weeks until Thanksgiving break! Keep pushing forward. You’ve got this.