How I Found Happiness During Finals / Midterms Week
College. Between the old friends, the new friends, the clubs, the activities, and the rigorous coursework, I don’t have much time for anything else.
The problem is “anything else” includes the bare necessities like food, hydration, and adequate sleep. With job applications to send out, papers due, tests out in the upcoming week, entire languages to learn, and my writing duties BESIDES all of that, I’ve been sacrificing sleep. Or I’ve been ordering pizza instead of walking for food. I drink coffee instead of water. Or, even worse, I do all of the above. (Oh, did I mention I lost two personal items of high sentimental value over the course of three days, sentimental items that also have high monetary value? Yup. Between missing appointments, over scheduling, and sleep deprivation… It’s been a bad week).
So, how am I managing this giant towering amount of stress?
- Look at problems extremely small picture. Instead of seeing a towering mass of THINGS TO DO, I focus on one more attainable goal. Do I have a paper due for one specific class? Do I have to do laundry today?
- Don’t break obligations. Don’t see eating as optional. You HAVE to eat three times per day. You can’t do homework if you’re sick.
- Carve time out for your own happiness. If your day is going badly with horribly unfortunate events, then make a good moment for yourself. I do it by watching movies with my friends while we do homework. It’s towards the end of the day, so we already did the majority of our homework and can afford some relaxation.
- Don’t spend all your time alone. Tell somebody about your stress. Call someone from home. Lean on your support network. If you keep all your stress bottled up, then you’ll explode.
- Start your morning with affirmations. Say, “you will do amazingly today”. “You will have a good day”. “You are smart, prepared for this test, and will do well.” “You are worth it.”
Always, remember, you are worth it.