"College is stressful." Truer words have never been spoken. It begins almost the moment you first enter your new dorm room freshman year. Then you try to get along with your roommate (and fail), you make friends that will last forever (true), and you worry about your GPA (rightfully so.) The stress gets worse as the semester tick by, until you're a senior and suddenly "stress" doesn't seem to cover it.
The petty problems and little anxieties from before seem inconsequential and now the real world is trying to break down your door and you are pushing back with every ounce of strength left in your sleep-deprived body. As I watched my roommate get more and more anxious every year, I was worried that she would eventually combust. But then she surprised me by learning the art of self care.
Self care can be whatever you need it to be; whatever makes you feel relaxed. Do you need to be medicated for your anxiety? Go to the doctor and get the prescription. Don't be afraid of social stigmas. Take take of yourself.
Look at all of the things that need to be done and prioritize. Write yourself a schedule for the week, outlining the papers that need written, the assignments completed, and the application submitted. It'll keep you from getting overwhelmed if you stick to this, and it'll leave you some free time at the end of the night.
That free time is necessary. Before beginning college, my parents warned that I would have more free time than I knew what to do with. Sometimes that is true, but sometimes it can feel like you are drowning in the homework and extra-curricular activities.
But, free time is not a bad thing. Don't feel guilty for going shopping with your friends and spending some money. You deserve it. Read a new book. Enjoy your late night jam sessions to Disney songs. Watch six romantic comedies in a day. Do whatever you want to do. Once you leave college, you can't be a kid anymore. So enjoy these last few months of being able to live life with minimal responsibility, because soon you'll be wishing you had baked that cake and hung out with your friends instead of writing a paper that isn't due for two weeks.
