For most of the people that I've talked to, this last semester was their toughest yet.
I know it was mine. I spent long hours up until 2 am doing readings, essays, and creating lesson plans every single night. I was always running around, busy, stressed, and doing endless work.
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Whether it was your first year of college and it was overwhelming and perhaps not exactly what you expected, or you're halfway through college and this semester's science class nearly killed you... at least you made it through. That's cause for celebration!
But then you had to wait the long days to get your final grades in your classes.
Instead of enjoying the calm break between your semesters, you stressed about whether the work you put into this semester would have the payoff you desired, or the grades would just make you realize that all your dread was right.
So when you saw your grades, you either felt really proud or really disappointed.
It's easy to fall into the trap of looking for a number as a means of defining your worth. It's a simple way of judging yourself in a society that makes it incredibly hard to accurately see your true self. People want that solid number generated by a random authority to justify their existence.
But it's also easy to re-frame your thinking and remember that certain numbers are socially constructed, and the implications of that number are all in your head.
People like to point to definitive numbers as a way to define themselves. The number they see on a scale, their grade point average, how many "likes" they can get on a picture.
I was guilty of this during high school. I did not feel good about myself and tried to compensate for a negative self-view by viewing my self-worth through my grades. It certainly hurt my mental health, obsessing over my grades being perfect so I would feel like I meant something, and made me miserable.
But when I got to college, I stopped trying avoid any failure and instead tried to be my best person. I'm not saying that I'm completely cured of trying to prove to myself that I mean something in relation to my grades, because I'm not, but at least my mental health doesn't hinge upon their perfection anymore. I get what I can by putting in my best work, and if that's not a 4.0 GPA but I did my best, I'm happy with that.
Because in the end, as long as you are healthy and happy, there is no need to stress. A below-average GPA does not mean that you will never find a job, even if it feels high-stakes right now. Being a couple of pounds over the average really will not kill you. Whether you get 20 likes or 200 likes on your last selfie, there will still be the people that matter who love you no matter the number.
If you didn't really get what you wanted this year, in terms of something like your GPA or losing weight, keep working at it slowly, and in a healthy way. Make sure that you're happy. And enjoy this calm between your semesters.
Let's hope we never have a repeat of last!
