Today’s article is for the over achievers. The go-getters, the never quit ‘til it’s over-ers, the beautiful souls whose life motto is “work now play later.” Personally, I categorize as a try-hard. I work constantly and relentlessly, completing homework assignment after homework assignment. While I am proud of my work ethic, I also know that I work myself into the ground, and often become so stressed out, overwhelmed or exhausted that I can no longer think straight. And there is where my problem lies. I overwork myself and become so focused that I forget to care about myself. As finals grow closer, I have a feeling many of you may feel the same way and I’m here to tell you that it is totally okay and normal to feel stressed out. For many of us, we have almost completed our first semester of college and for others we are completing another stressful semester and are one step closer to that degree. But there comes a time when we all need to stop and breathe and just soak up the most amazing time of our lives.
While we are all struggling to raise our grades, turn in an essay on time or get though our agonizingly long math homework, everyone here at the University is working to be successful. Rest is a huge component of that. Work on work on work is exhausting. If that continues for prolonged periods of time it can be easy to become burned out and lose motivation to do well in class. That is why taking personal time is vital to success in college classes. For us workaholics out there, taking a break before the work is done just seems like a major chore, but it can be very beneficial to completing our work. Additionally, all work and no play is no fun for anyone. So, the most important piece of advice is to take a step back from the workload every once in a while, and take some time for yourself. Pick up a hobby like reading or knitting or working out or spend some time with friends or on the phone with family members. And remember that it is okay if you don’t finish that essay two days early, and it’s okay to struggle as a student- that is what college is all about. Balancing work and rest is a key to being successful and happy.
What is one way that is guaranteed to help get your mind off everything college? Spending time with family you love. And the perfect opportunity is coming up, Thanksgiving break. While many of us will be stifling negative comments toward our annoying family members or trying to drone out pesky cousins, just be thankful that at least they are giving you a break from your workload. So, this break I advise you to take a moment and set the books down, shut the laptops, put a pause on the stress and worry about the upcoming semester end and give thanks for what you have, who you are and where you’re going.
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