In college, I've come to learn a lot about being a person. That might sound dramatic to you, but it's quite accurate to what I've experienced. I'd argue that one of the main purposes of college is to teach you how to be a person, besides the whole academic growth thing. Being at this point in life just naturally leads to mistakes being made and lessons being learned. It's all part of the process.
My own process involved a series of missteps that led to the various struggles I've mentioned in previous posts. Without going into TMI-territory, I'll just say that during my sophomore year (bleeding into the beginning of junior year), I didn't take care of myself nearly as well as I should have. I was so focused on working and trying to attain perfection (a fruitless endeavor) that I nearly burnt myself out. Don't learn this the hard way like I did, folks.
How exactly can you avoid overwhelming stress? I'm still learning how myself, but I've figured out some strategies that can help maintain the balance that's essential to a healthy mind.
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| Cake (in moderation!) might be one strategy. Source |
- Stay organized. I don't know about you, but I get a strange sense of comfort when I've organized my life in some way. I'm the type who will spend hours cleaning my room as a method of stress relief. Something about having everything in its proper place brings me peace. You might not feel the same way, but being organized as you search for a job/internship will make everything so much easier. If you don't know where to start, check out my blog post on organizing your job search
- Find productive spots. I've mentioned this before, but putting yourself in an environment where you feel productive helps a lot. Instead of sitting in your room feeling guilty that you're procrastinating, move to Tisch Library or anywhere else that puts you in a productive mindset. While some people have no problem getting work done in their room, it's often hard to disassociate your bedroom from relaxation and sleep.
- Prioritize sleep. Speaking of sleep -- remember to actually sleep! Being productive and getting work done is awesome, but overworking yourself to the point of sleep deprivation will come back to haunt you. Consider getting around 8 hours of sleep each night which is just as important as getting your applications done in time. If it's 3 am and you're still working on something, call it a night. You can always continue the next day.
- Treat yourself kindly. You deserve nice things. Even though you might procrastinate and you're not perfect, you still deserve something that isn't work. College students (especially at a competitive school like Tufts) don't always realize this. I'm talking to you, person-who-lives-in-the-library. I can say from personal experience that trying to be "productive" 24 hours a day leads to unhealthy levels of stress. One method is to declare one day each week your "break day". My break day is Saturday. On Saturdays, I won't do any homework unless I absolutely have to, with the expectation that the rest of the week is productive. Break days give you time to breathe. Go shopping, watch a movie, hang out with friends -- in short, it's like Nicole mentioned in her blog post:
- Ask for help when you need it. Asking for help is a critical part of staying sane during the job search. As you probably know, finding a job can be really stressful. It takes a lot of energy, coordination, and planning. Doing it all by yourself can be overwhelming, and asking for help is never something to be shameful of. The Career Center exists specifically to help you through the process! Don't be afraid to make an appointment at 617.627.329 or you can walk in during Drop-In Hours. Take advantage of all the resources that are offered. Make your tuition dollars work for you, people!
- Sidenote: if you're feeling so overwhelmed that it's hard to function day-to-day, consider checking out CMHS, another life-saving resource on campus.
Believe it or not, those bullet points took me several years to figure out. I just saved you a lot of time with this post. You're welcome.
Signing off (to go treat myself),
Kelly Vieira
Class of 2015
