photo: http://koolandkreativ.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html
Many of us are told going into college that we must cherish these next few years because these are the best years of our lives. Most of us have such high expectations for college, but maybe it’s that time to start over, or just a take a new, exciting step in our lives.
Going into freshmen year, we are thrown into new experiences, new routines and new friends. Change can be either exciting, or terrifying but how you deal with stress is one thing we all have in common.
Now, a junior in college, exciting and new experiences have now become my norm; however, the stress remains. The stress that I had felt as a freshman has now morphed into something that is more unexplainable, but I know is a common feeling between many of my peers.
As I strive to build my resume, balance my social life, academics, while also supporting myself and paying my way through college, I have suddenly become overwhelmed with life. While trying to balance my priorities during the past month, I have maybe cooked my own meals twice, and managed to go to the gym at most twice a week, sparing myself of study time.
Research tells us that we need at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night in order to do our best and manage stress, but there isn’t enough time in the day to go to work, study for a test, go to class, attend the meetings for all the organizations you’re involved with, and somehow still try and have a good time to make that possible.
We should also take time to either meditate, go for a run or do some type of activity to reduce stress because if not, we are at risk for cardiovascular disease in the future. Yet, when I do try to take time for myself, all I can think of is how much I have to do, which becomes counter productive.
I admit, at times, many of us may be too hard on ourselves, and complaining about the opportunities that I have may make me seem spoiled, but I have begun to lose control of something I used to have so much control over. The idea of being well rounded has become much harder to achieve. The pressure that college student face to become an ideal candidate and also make sure these years are the best years of our lives have become overwhelming and one of the biggest stressors that my friends and I face.
Classes and workload are one reason for increasing stress in college students, but people often overlook that we are not just college students, we are also workers, friends, members of organizations, etc. We have a life to live and all the pressure to do it all is what are driving students crazy. How do we know if we are doing too much? Yet again, it is beginning to feel like too much is never enough.