This week has been that kind of week where I just wanted to sit on my bed and stare at my bedroom walls. Stress is rising, advising is approaching, and friends are becoming more distant as they have to buckle down for their classes too. As weeks like these become more frequent, I’ve picked up some tips along the way.
1. DON’T stress eat.
I can’t keep snack foods in my dorm or else I know I will stress eat. Luckily I hate driving, so I can’t really go to the store all that frequently to get snacks. But to the people who don’t care about traffic and parking, careful about the snacks you’re getting. Have your three meals a day, but try to limit the excess snacking.
2. DO go get food.
Don’t forget those three meals. This was a big issue for me last semester. I had class and practice straight from 10:55 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and practice lasted until 7:30 on Fridays. There were many weeks when it would be 8:50 before I realized that I had forgotten to eat dinner. Don’t follow my example. Get food. It helps you think and function like a human being.
3. DON’T forget about God.
Sometimes I can’t even bring myself to go to church. If a week is bad enough, I manage to convince myself that I’m just too awful of a person to go to church. That’s not remotely true; God is there for everyone, even me. And I know this. But a mind in solitude is dangerous, and it can convince itself of absolute lies if it repeats it enough. For instance, when I read the Bible, it often is like sweet relief. Just remembering God exists and has an eye on things is a great comfort. But my mind lies to me and convinces me that it will be some awful experience. Where does that even come from? It’s not remotely true. God is a lifeline, and I need to remember to grab it sometimes.
4. DO keep up with your friends.
Especially during bad weeks, it can feel impossible to get up and be social. But then that just increases the isolation and stress and makes the week worse. Even if you’re literally just grabbing some classmates and working on homework in the same room, that’s much better than ripping your hair out over a tough problem in your room alone. Make sure you find people who support you and do the same for them. It makes life much easier.
5. DON’T bully yourself.
This one is easily the most important one on this list. For whatever reason, stress often leads me to insist to myself that I’m a horrible person. I have stayed up until far too early in the morning, simply convincing myself I’m an idiot who can’t do anything right. I know this isn’t true, and when I’m in a good frame of mind, I’m fine. But it’s really easy to start doubting yourself out of nowhere and believing you are a failure. Don’t do it. Your faults are much bigger in your own eye than the eyes of literally anyone else.
These are just five things that come to mind when I consider my bad weeks this past year. To those going into college, don’t worry. There are plenty of good weeks too. You can get through the bad weeks. You can do this.
