Edited By: Joy Jiang
There are so many amazing things about having the opportunity to attend university, and I’m incredibly grateful that I do. But honestly, it is hard sometimes. So, so hard. There are many things to balance: studying, working, and having a social life, all while trying to maintain some level of health. It seems next to impossible. It’s no wonder that almost 90% of Canadian university students admit to having felt overwhelmed by all their obligations, or that 1/5 are struggling with depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues. Trying to juggle all of these things can be immensely challenging for many people, and likely produces high levels of stress. But for some people, navigating the daily ups and downs of life is always accompanied by incessant thinking, and constant worrying.
For me, worrying is nothing new. Even as a kid, I was a worrywart, always nervously anticipating anything that could be a cause for concern. If I can dwell unnecessarily on something, I will. Perhaps it all stems from an anxious-ambivalent attachment style (if my university career pursuing psychology is entirely worthless, I should at least be allowed to name-drop fancy psychobabble for effect every now and again…see there I go again, worrying about the future).
As we get closer and closer to graduating, our fears grow bigger and bigger, the worrying amp-ing up. It is difficult to control those late night thoughts, the voices in your head telling you you’ve made a mistake with your major, or wondering what you’ll do once you’ve finished school. And leave it to our loving parents — bless their hearts — to incessantly remind us that the job market is absolutely terrible, and we better hope there’s even a job left at Starbucks once we’re out of school. And these are just the existential worries. On top of that, we have to manage the daily stressors that crop up.
It can be frustrating being overwhelmed by your thoughts — and like I alluded to earlier, excessive worrying can be detrimental to overall mental health and wellbeing. But worrying is not entirely all bad. I’d like to discuss some of the positive aspects of being a fellow worrywart, and just why it is that it may not be the end of the world that your brain is always thinking.
1. You plan ahead
Because you’re constantly thinking, you are probably the one in your friend group who coordinates the plans, and orchestrates what you’re doing every time you hang out. It may get a little annoying sometimes, but at least you have the heaviest say in what you guys do! It also means that you are thinking about your future, and though this in itself can get overwhelming at times, you are probably one step ahead when it comes to planning your schedules each semester, and getting a jumpstart on internships and summer opportunities.
2. You (probably) prepare well for exams
Let’s face it, when it comes to U of T, nobody’s perfect, unless you’re a super genius. But if anyone has any hope of getting through course readings, and ace-ing those curveball midterm questions, it’s you. You likely prepare for every possible question, even the ones you know you won’t be tested on. You may be stressed about classes 24/7, but at least your GPA will thank you later.
3. You think through your problems
A perk of nonstop thinking is that it often leads to an active solution to your problem. I often find that when there is something bugging me, it helps me to go through the different possibilities and steps I need to take in order to solve the issue. What really helps me is to create a list of small things I can do one step at a time to resolve my issue, and this can sometimes calm the crazy worrying and lead to action. Anxiety brain isn’t bad all the time when it helps you get stuff done!
4. You have strong perspective taking skills
One of the upsides to constantly replaying the highlights from your most embarrassing moments in your head is that you are analyzing the situation from different perspectives, thinking about ways in which the situation may have played out differently. You may also place yourself in other people’s shoes, imagining what they were thinking of you. Although it can feel painfully embarrassing, you are engaging in perspective taking, and learning to see situations from many different sides. I agree that worrying about what others think of us can get in the way of saying or doing things that we believe, but the skill of acknowledging another person’s perspective is definitely something that is important in day to day life.
Worrying is something that everyone does from time to time (some people to a much greater extent than others). It can be exhausting always thinking about different scenarios, and questioning different things. And if you find that you worry to the point where you overwhelm yourself, and your anxiety levels are unmanageable, this is definitely something you can get help with, whether it be confiding in a friend, or taking advantage of the resources through U of T and talking to a professional. But if worrying is just simply a part of your nature, rest assured that there are many advantages to this one aspect of your personality. It’s nothing to worry about.
Thumbnail Image | Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3 | Image 4 | Image 5