It’s almost common knowledge that university students are stressed but the statistics may surprise you. A study by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health in 2016 reported that 61% of students who seek counseling report anxiety. NYU reports that 55% of students across America say academics are the number one reason for their stress.
Personally, I have always taken my academics seriously. I expected myself to get good grades, and felt devastated when I earned anything less than perfect marks. I’ve always struggled a bit in school, so this took a toll on my overall mental health.
Last May, around one week after final exams, I fainted suddenly in a bookstore. I hit my head in two places, and was rushed to the hospital with a friend. The doctors ran tests on my heart, did a neurological exam, and conducted several blood tests. They came back with two red flags. The first: my body was under extreme stress. I stretched myself so thin that my body was exhibiting physical symptoms of stress, including increased heart rate, dizziness, and chest pains.
The second: I had suffered a concussion.
I didn’t know too much about concussions. I had never had one before, and thought they only occurred as a result of severe accidents and sports injuries. I was surprised that I had one. Yet I had all the symptoms. I had migraines, vision problems, nausea, sensory overload from too much noise, light sensitivity, and I was always out of it. Since I was enrolled in one summer course, I was forced to balance my recovery and self-care with my academics. It was way more challenging than I thought.
There’s nothing wrong with striving to do your best, but not at the cost of your health. I had to learn that I couldn’t be perfect. That it was literally impossible, and that I needed to take care of my body, or else I would continue to feel sick. I had to create new study strategies, such as printing out my readings instead of doing them on my laptop. I had to learn when to stop studying for an exam when my head hurt, as opposed to studying for hours non-stop. My doctors were extremely concerned at the amount I was studying because my headaches were still so severe. I had to learn that I need to listen to the people who know best, not challenge their advice.
I still struggle a bit with migraines and sensory overload, but overall I would consider myself recovered. Having a concussion was not a positive experience by any means, but it taught me about self-care and academics. It is not worth it to risk your physical or mental health over grades and assignments. My concussion taught me that there is no shame in taking care of your body and your mind first to ensure you can succeed. Take breaks, and find what makes you happy.