College is stressful. It is a place that is filled with so many bright minds and overall growth. It is also a place full of screaming, crying young adults who are running on five minutes of sleep and a large coffee with five espresso shots. If you are a college student then it’s more than likely you’ve found yourself breaking down for reasons you may not understand. I like to consider myself a veteran crier and am positive I’ve shed a tear in almost every situation.
Moreover, it can be frustrating when you have no clue why these water droplets are falling out of your eyes, leaving streaks in your new concealer. Sometimes when you don’t understand what exactly your body is emotionally reacting to, it can be anxiety provoking and worsen the feeling you’re experiencing. I find myself in those situations quite frequently. College can break people, and it’s important to understand that you don’t have to turn on that sad playlist and cry alone. With that, I’d like to share some ideas to consider the next time to you don’t understand the cause of your tears.
You’re crying! Why? Maybe:
- You woke up late and had to sprint to that morning class you hate. Even worse, you didn’t have time to brush your teeth or hair and now that cute person you’re crushing on saw you on your worst day!
- It starts to rain on your walk to class. You didn’t bring an umbrella to college. You just spent 25 minutes straightening your hair.
- You stayed up all night finishing a paper. Right as you fall asleep, the fire alarm goes off in your dorm.
- Your professor just ripped apart an assignment that you poured your heart and soul into. You try to fix the wound with an iced coffee. The barista messes up and gives you a lemonade.
- After a long day of seminars, you’re famished! You get to the dining hall and they’re only serving grease with a side of more grease.
- It’s payday! You deposit your check and all of your bills and student loan payments hit you. You’re left with 8 cents to stretch for two weeks.
- It’s a sweaty 75 degrees out. Your window handle is broken and the school hasn’t shut the heat off yet.
- You get your FAFSA package back for next year. The government gave you $6 and a lollipop.
- You spent $300 on a textbook that your professor never assigns a single reading out of all semester. You try to sell it to the book store. They offer you $10 and a pencil with the name of the college on it.
- You plan a night out with your friends after a long week. You bought a dress you couldn’t afford but left the tag on so you could return it. Some fool spills red kool-aid all over the front at a party. You try to wash it out with bleach, but it turns pink.
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You have four final papers due on the same day and you left them all until the last minute because you were too busy working to pay bills and get groceries. It’s now 6 AM and you’re still stuck on the introduction. You start writing your withdrawal request instead.
College is tough. It is also a place where you’ll have some of the best years of your life. Whatever you go through, remember you’re surrounded by other students who feel a similar pain. We’re all in this together baby!