As a college student, life can get overwhelming fast. Between balancing school, friends, jobs and more, losing ground in one area can quickly feel like everything else is spinning out of control. A fight with a friend or a break-up can snowball into a week of stress. And one week of unnecessary stress can translate into a lack of focus that bleeds into every other area. The combinations are endless. At times, life can feel like an unstable Jenga tower, and the removal of just one block has the ability to make it feel like the whole structure is going to collapse.
Moments like these happen to everyone at some point, but they can be especially common for college students who are under an enormous amount of pressure. The most important thing is to know how to react in a way that will recharge and empower you.
Recharging means taking time for yourself. While it may seem like the best way to counteract an unproductive week is to pull a string of all-nighters, this will only add more stress. By throwing yourself into activities, you risk burning yourself out even more. When you start to feel that things are getting out of control, it’s important to take a step back and take some time to recharge. Spend even an hour organizing your room, going to the gym, doing a face mask, or anything else that takes your mind off the craziness of life just for a little bit. It can make a huge difference in the long run.
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After you’ve started to recharge, the best way to get back on your A-game is to recognize all the great things that make you, you! It’s easy to look in the mirror and pick out all of your biggest flaws, but it’s a lot harder to look beyond these to find your greatest strengths. In our eyes, our weaknesses are always magnified double their size, while our best qualities can be hard to find. Without a good understanding of who you are, and why these qualities make you such an important person, it will always be difficult to pick yourself up after you get knocked down. Make a list of all the things you love about yourself and why they’re great. Hang it somewhere. This might not change the world, but it will change the way you see it. People are so concerned with being modest that they often undersell themselves. It’s not a crime to believe in yourself and I guarantee that the world would be a much better place if everyone were a little more confident in their abilities.
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Another great way to both recharge and empower yourself is to develop a hobby you can turn to when times get rough. College can feel like a competition and activities that were once fun when you were younger have now morphed into just another arena where you feel forced to excel. Separating yourself from this world and finding a hobby can be a great way to relieve stress. If you’ve never danced before but want to, try taking a dance class. If you miss the artistic side you showed when you were younger, buy some paints and take an afternoon getting back into it. If there’s ever anything you’ve been curious to try but didn’t think you had the time, make the time for it. It’s important to push yourself into new experiences, and the best part is that you don’t even have to be good at any of these things! Starting out badly is one of the greatest way to watch yourself improve. It’s an opportunity to laugh at your faults while eventually watching them transform into a new way to flourish. Additionally, putting yourself in a situation where failure carries very little impact can be incredibly empowering. Activities like this are a great way to step back and gain a little perspective.
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Finally, this life is yours for the taking but there will always be external factors that complicate it. The most important factor is always how you react to situations that challenge you. By knowing how to recharge and empower yourself, you become stronger and the stronger you are internally, the harder it becomes for external events to knock you down.
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