I'm a college student.
I wake up early every morning, I prepare myself for the day of class ahead and go about my way. Once I come home, I make sure I get some food in my body and then prepare for work. If I'm lucky, I can squeeze a tiny nap in between eating and leaving for work. Then I come home from work, begin and sit down to start my classwork. After an hour or two, I head for bed. If I'm lucky, I have a little time for myself to relax and talk to my friends and boyfriend. Chat about the day and share some memes.
I do this five days a week. It seems like nothing big, as it should. Thousands of students do it everyday, it's apart of the daily hussle that's known as life. It's a part of growing up. That's the sad reality of adulthood: working and going to school. You go to school so you can get a great job, better than the crummy part-time job you have now. However, you stay at that crummy part-time job so you can pay for school. You can't have one without another. It's the circle of life.
However, there's more to going to school and working. It's not just the depressing memes shared by college kids on Twitter and Facebook. It's more than just the tired faces which soon become your real face. It's more than just the stories you hear about the all-nighters. It's an actual struggle many don't consider.
Going to school and working is tired nights. Tired nights after a long day at work when you stayed way beyond your scheduled time. Tired nights filled with you debating whether you should start that essay due in a few days and save yourself some stress, or actually sleep and worry about the essay later, which will cause you immense stress because you have so many other projects due.
Going to school and working is stress. Stress caused because you've been losing sleep because you've been putting off your assignments because you're tired after work. Stress forming because your work performance is lacking due to being run down. Stress because you're not able to work as much as you used to and your bank account is suffering.
Going to school and working is accepting the fact your social life is failing. Your social life is failing because all your time is filled with work and school. Your days off are spent at home, catching up on sleep and trying to begin your work. Your social life begins to crumble because your friends are upset... you haven't been seeing them and they begin to feel left behind.
Going to school and working is being sick. You become sick because your immune system is weakening, you have no time to be sick however, you can't keep calling out of work.
Going to school and working is not being able to squeeze in school work time because once your day is finally done, you can't focus. You can't focus because you need to rest. But you can't rest... you need to get your work done.
Going to school and working is realization. Realization that you can't do everything you need to do. Realization that your mental health is important and sometimes you need to put yourself first.
Going to school and working is a struggle. A struggle many of us face that often isn't addressed. It's seen as a normal and common thing, everyone does it. But just because everyone does it, doesn't make it easy.
Sure, going to school and working is common. Sure, it's seen as an everyday thing. But common things aren't always easy.
