As you can tell from the title of this article, I've been freaking out behind the scenes, and I'm pretty sure most of you have been too. I'm here to tell you to calm down because it's going to be alright, we'll get through this!
I've been very troubled lately listening to so many people's different agendas and plans for life. I went into college thinking that I was on top of things, ahead of the game, and that I was going to have a blast. Unfortunately for me, I am now COMPLETELY overwhelmed. It's very intimidating listening to how some people are so organized and understand what they are doing in life, while I'm over here on my own journey trying to understand quantum mechanics and orbitals when it's probably the simplest concept to understand in chemistry. There happen to be so many ways in which I've been freaking out and on the verge of breaking down. Don't worry, I'm assuming some of you are in the same boat. Whether that's a stressful project at work, college classes, finals, volunteering, etc. I get it, we all have our hardships, but that's okay! These obstacles help shape us into who we are and help us evolve into becoming more successful. We panic now, but when we push through and try our best it will pay off. Struggle now only to be triumphant later on. Your success lies in your own hands.
What strategies have I been implementing to be stress free and on top of things?
1) Know that it's okay if you don't have the perfect grade in all classes. Not everyone is perfect. Know that it's okay if you don't have the perfect grade in all classes. Not everyone can be good at everything. Now I'm not saying to slack in the course because you don't like it or it's too hard, but simply to try your best. Aim at trying to pass, if that class isn't your strong suit. I struggled with remembering that once in a while we will have a hard time, but it's okay as long as we pick ourselves back up. (Don't take this as an excuse for an accumulation of failure)
-"If you don't give up you still have a chance. Giving up is the greatest failure."
2) Manage time. I was actually on a call with my sister just the other day and we discussed this. Whenever I have a day where I'm assigned a heavy load of work that clashes with my social schedule, I start to stress and think that I have no time. That is absolutely false. I would write down everything I had to do in my planner, and get even more freaked out when I saw the long list. BUT IT'S OKAY! I have a solution for you. My sister suggested to me that I plan out my day minute to minute. I know this sounds very robotic, but honestly on those days where you're just overwhelmed, it becomes a great way to accomplish what you need to. Anyways, I did this the first few days and I promise it works. It's actually quite nice because then you hold yourself accountable for completing all the tasks listed.. and it's fun to cross out each item.😎
3) Take time out for yourself. This is probably the most difficult thing to do as a college student. I've been complaining about how I've had almost zero time for myself but that should not be true. If you don't take a break and socialize or continue on with personal hobbies, your brain will shut down. While I advocate for taking breaks, try to stay away from binge watching the whole Friends series instead of studying. This is where the minute planning comes in handy! Plan how long your break should be and finish the schedule.
4) Maybe it's not for you? Sometimes we go have an idea of what we want to do in life, but at the end of the day what we wanted to do just might not suit us. Take me for example. I've been planning on having a career in the medical field for about 3 and a half years. I went through state training to become a nursing assistant, I volunteered at my local hospital, and I joined clubs at my college that exposed me to different types of med. I thought I was going to go through with this and become the naturopathic physician I had dreamed of becoming. I centered all my classes and my extracurriculars around this. After being enrolled in the courses that lead up to Med school, I realized that this is not where I want to be. I discovered business was the route I wanted to take. Although I had a passion for medicine, I concluded that it’s okay to change plans nothing has to be set. Yes, right now I'm a bit worried about starting over but I know that I will figure it out.
The reason I share this with you is because I want to let you know that you're not alone. I felt that way many times, and thought, "well what's my purpose in life?" Don't worry you'll find it!
Stay beautiful...
xoxo,
Yasmeena