COLUMN: Stressed out and taking L's? Just keep moving forward
We often talk about the importance of managing our time wisely, but I think it's just as important for students to learn how to manage their stress.
If nothing else, college gradually teaches students how to cope with feeling stressed out and defeated — like they've just been slapped across the face.
Somedays, college does that to you. It will open-palm you across the cheek.
The key to growing as a person is how you react to getting smacked in the face by a bad exam grade, a smashed laptop screen or a walk to class in freezing rain.
Growing up, when people around me complained about being stressed out, I assumed they were overreacting in a self-pity party.
Boy, was I wrong.
Before I knew what "real-world" responsibilities were or how tiring "adulting" is, I thought the stressed-out adults simply didn’t know how to properly manage their time. They weren't prepared and it was their fault.
Even as my two older siblings battled stress and anxiety in their early 20s, I thought I was too strong to ever feel that way.
They said my day would come.
It sure did.
I'm now fours years into college and I’m juggling a full-time job that pays like a part-time job, 18 credits at Central Michigan University, preparing for an internship and a lot more. I lost my wallet the other night and have to replace everything. My old truck isn't running how it used to and summer can't come soon enough.
Like many other college students, I feel overwhelmed.
With all this, it's easy to feel like I'm falling behind. While everyone else seems to have their stuff together, I'm swimming in stress. Yet, I still wake up every day trying to move forward. This is one of the most important lessons from my time in college.
I can stay in bed all day or I can try to succeed at something.
My plan every day is to keep on moving forward, despite feeling like I'm falling behind.
In theory, I go to class, go to work, study, eat well, drink water and go to the gym. However, what often happens is I go to class, go to work, get tired, get annoyed, go home, watch Netflix, take a nap, wake up and panic about my future and my career.
Then, I make dinner.
So, how do I cope with stress? How do I convince myself to keep going when I'm constantly taking L's?
As any college student should — take the good with the bad and keep trying to move forward despite the stress.
It's not always pretty, and it doesn't always go according to plan. But you have to give me credit for being focused on trying at least, right?
