I know it’s midterm season, but take a deep breath. You’ll be fine.
No, seriously, you will.
In high school, I was so preoccupied with college application deadlines, my writing as part of the journalism staff, studying for AP exams, and participating in extracurricular activities. On the exterior, I passed as a regular student who was simply work-oriented and able to find a balance between leisure time and schoolwork. The dark reality was that I wasn’t. I found myself stuck in a never-ending cycle of deadlines, studying, and schoolwork – which dominated all my time. I found myself missing out on senior events and closing myself off from others in school. I refrained from moving away from my tiny circle of friends and kept reminding myself of how graduation would help me break free of this cycle. When I finally graduated, I asked myself, “Is this really how I want to spend my college years?”
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Now a senior at UC Davis, I am still relearning how to cope with stress. From time to time I find myself in that vicious cycle that parallels the one I was stuck in during high school. When that realization hits me, I step back and tell myself to breathe and relax. If I’m extremely exhausted and not making any sense of what I’m reading or studying, I let myself take a break. Whether it’s taking a walk or jog outside, letting my mind roam on social media, getting some rest, or even grabbing a quick dinner with a friend, I’m able to get back to work more relaxed than if I were to continue torturing myself by sitting through a long assignment I couldn’t concentrate on.
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It was only through this approach that I was able to deal with stress throughout my time at UC Davis. It prevented me from isolating myself from others. I wanted to get the most out of my time here at UC Davis – our years as an undergraduate are minuscule in comparison to the years we will be working in our fields, raising families, or starting businesses. So why not enjoy the present moment? Midterms, essays, reports, job applications – the stress that might be tormenting us at the moment will be a thing of the past when it’s done and becomes a lesson learned. That’s why it’s important to remember to take care of yourself at all times and find a balance between academics and your undergraduate experience. In the end, it’s all about doing whatever makes you happy.
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