 |
| Image Source |
Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.
~Mahatma Gandhi
Unlike last week, I remember the week of August 9 clearly. Recruitment was over, and I no longer had nightly meetings. Unfortunately, I had a lot of work to catch up on from the weekend, and I had to figure out how to study for the exams coming up. Normally, the first week of school allows you to set the mood for the rest of the semester, but school started on a Wednesday, and recruitment season began immediately after that. I had no time to set my rhythm. I spent the entire week recording how long it took me to complete my homework, and tried to go to bed before 11 pm. Hopefully, you've had better luck with your time management. I was euphoric about having my free time back, but then I got sick. What positives can I come up with when I was feeling so miserable? At least 20, because I learned a lot about how I handle stress and push past my self-doubt and anxiety to reach my goals. For now, here are three challenges I faced during the worst week of my semester, and how I beat them.
1. I lost my voice
Just my luck. All my teachers want to have in-class discussions the day I lose my voice. All of a sudden I'm popular and everyone wants to catch up. I couldn't breath during the night, and woke up gasping for air every half-hour. I didn't fall asleep until 6 am and I used up all my cold medicine. These days were awful, but I was met with kindness and generosity. The library staff gave me cough drops which helped the pain significantly - I could even breath through my nose. I binge drank the blood orange tea my mom bought for me months ago, and had an endless supply of tissues around campus. Everyone was nice and understood that I wasn't in the best of health. Still, I didn't want to feel sorry for myself all day, so I pushed myself to participate in class and spoke in my mumble-grumbled voice. By Friday, I could sleep at night for a few hours, and over the weekend my congestion disappeared. I was physically ill, and people wanted to help me feel better. I didn't let the illness stop me from staying on top of my work, and now I'm reaping the benefits of my sacrifice.
2. There was no time to get everything done.
Family Weekend was a blessing when it came, but an anxiety-inducing curse in the days before. I didn't know what to do. I simply did not have enough time in my schedule to finish the work I was given. I didn't want to let myself down, even though my body was telling me to go to bed. I realized that my standards were too high given the situation. I decided to focus on what was due the soonest, and figure out which work to sacrifice before the weekend. Fortunately, I was over-reacting and I was able to finish two assignments after my mom arrived. My Sunday was packed, but I knew that I did my best, and went to bed happy with my decisions.
3. I was very, very sad
I may seem pessimistic based on the previous three weeks, but I really am an optimist. There are times when situations are more than we can handle, and this was one of them. I wasn't the only one, I think almost everyone was super stressed from sorority and fraternity recruitments, sports, clubs, and other activities. I'm used to cheering other people up, and wasn't sure what to do with myself. I've mentioned before that I may or may not have severe anxiety, but I also may or may not have mild depression - the more you know. These past few weeks only made my mental health worse, and my health was not a priority (I guess that's why I got sick.) I was so happy to see my family again, and introduce my mom to some of my sorority sisters and my boss (Crystal, come to the LC and you'll meet her). It was a huge relief to finally leave campus. The dorms are stifling and I needed to leave. You'l want a break too when you live here two summers in a row.
---
These times are hard, but hard times are all the time depending on your perspective, and I'm glad there are so many people here to help us see the bright side of things.
Sources
No comments:
Post a Comment