Wrapping up my first year of college, I am finding myself quite overwhelmed with the sheer number of final assignments, papers, and exams that have sprung up on my calendar. I can’t say that I didn’t see this coming, but now that the end of the semester is here I honestly am a bit surprised (and nervous) looking at my to-do list. Talking with my friends, the majority of them seem to be in the same boat as me and have their own fair share of stress. While there have been more intense periods of work throughout the school year, I feel as though I have not experienced anything like this workload before. To further fill up my already busy schedule, the change in the weather is definitively not helping my productivity and attention span. During times that I know I should probably be focused on my assignments, I want nothing more than to be laying out on a blanket outside with friends or going for a walk in the sunshine (and that’s what I end up doing).
Ultimately, I have found that I need to take one day at a time, and find a proper balance between academics and enjoying myself this spring. By nature, I lean towards needing all of my academic work to be perfect, and therefore, I end up spending far too much time on assignments. However, in an attempt to counteract that tendency, I find that I may end up procrastinating too much by doing other activities. Then, I find myself stressing out more due to the lack of time I gave myself. I have discovered that the single most important thing that I can do to ease my stress yet still stay up on work is to give myself compassion. From allowing each assignment to be imperfect to prioritizing my sleep to making sure I’m spending quality time with friends each day, I remind myself that it’s okay if my plans change, or something I was hoping to get done doesn’t get finished. Although it is getting difficult to allow myself those compassionate moments as work ramps up, it is honestly the most important and beneficial thing I can do for myself, and I encourage anyone who is experiencing a similar stress to try it as well.