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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

We have officially reached fall! Normally I love fall! I love the pumpkin cinnamon donuts, the chilly but not too cold weather, the colorful leaves, and Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10-minute version) Taylor’s Version”. This fall though, I have been extremely stressed. 

I am trying to collect data for my senior capstone project which is tedious. Why I thought looking at 435 house races would be a good idea, I will never know. I feel like anytime I have free time I am working on the data collection, yet I am still always behind in data collection. 

I’m taking three other classes besides my capstone that are going fine but always seem to have an assignment due at the worst possible time. 

Part of my stress is that I overbooked myself. I signed myself up for too much at the beginning of the year. Listen, I love every single club that I am a part of, but trying to find time for myself so mental health does not suffer has been hard.

My job has been contributing to the stress too. One of my bosses is retiring, which leaves me to put together an elementary art show without her. Am I qualified for this? No. I am stressing over it? Most definitely. Is it going to come together eventually? Yes, it will. 

I know many of you are thinking, how are you handling the stress Steph? To be honest, I am struggling a lot right now. There is no shame in admitting that. I’ve been closing myself off, skipping events, and crying a ton. But I’m dealing with it in my own way, and I know that I’m not alone in my struggles. 

Everyone has a ton going on right now in our lives. Being a college student is not always easy. It can be stressful. I am learning that I must be kind to myself. Yesterday I took an hour to watch an episode of “Law-and-Order SVU” instead of working on data collection, because I could not work on it at that moment without crying. 

Did I hit the deadline I set for myself on my data collection? Nope, not even close. Do I regret taking the break? Nope. I needed the break so I could recollect myself before doing more work, and there is nothing wrong with that. 

I am also reminding myself that I am not alone in my struggles. Everyone I know is a college student trying to juggle classes, clubs, and a social life. I know I can get more help if I need it from my professors, friends or the counseling services Bonaventure provides if needed. I also know my Her Campus sisters are always here for me too. 

Stephanie is a new member of St. Bonaventure's Her Campus. She plans to write about politics, music, pop culture, college and life in general. Stephanie is a senior political science major and a communication minor. She is also the SBU College Democrats Student Government Representative, Vice President of the SBU Fitness Club, and a member of the SBU Dance Team. In her free time, Stephanie likes to hang with her friends, watch The West Wing, listen to her favorite artists which include Niall Horan, Taylor Swift, and Isak Danielson, and walk with her mom and dog. Stephanie can frequently be found with an Iced Matcha Latte in her hand.