The Stressful Situation That Is Life

As a university student, it can often seem as if my schedule is not only packed, but packed with so many different types of things! There seems to be an unspoken expectation for Pepperdine students to overcommit themselves. Most of us are aware of this, and most of us agree that it is somewhat of a problem. However, we still manage to put ourselves in that same category of those students who have way too much to juggle. I know I can often feel overwhelmed; I have to think of classes, work, clubs, extracurriculars, internships, keeping up with family in different cities and on a different time zone, keeping up with friends from home who are also on different time zones, and keeping up with Pepperdine friends because there are several in different friend groups, which means at least three or four lunch dates a week.

 

 

By the time the weekend comes around, all I ever want to do is have some me time. Of course, this is hardly ever what ends up happening. Since we are busy and all of our friends are busy, we have plans that were made nearly a month in advance, so we obviously can’t cancel or change the plans. Then we have to finish that one assignment we completely forgot about. There are chores, errands to run, people to see, and still so many things on our to-do list that have not been checked off by the time Sunday comes around. In short, life can seem pretty hectic. I know I am constantly running around from one place to the next, just reminding myself of what’s next throughout the day because I have to come through for every single one of my commitments. Always.

 

The funny thing about all of us being busy is that all of a sudden, being busy is not a good enough excuse. Sure, you might have five papers to write in one week and two midterms to study for at the same time, but so do all of your friends, and they seem to be breezing through, so you have to make it seem just as effortless. But the most comical thing, in my opinion, is how ridiculous we end up being in making ourselves busy and in trying so hard to portray just how busy we are.

 

Fun fact about me, I am the youngest of three daughters; my sisters are 13 and 11 years older than me, respectively. If you bring in my extended family into the equation, I am also the youngest of all of the cousins on my dad’s side of the family. Needless to say, I am known as the baby. For those of you who are also the youngest, you know the amazing benefits that comes with this role, but also the incredibly annoying struggles. For anyone else, well, I’m sure you can identify which member of your family is in the same position. The benefits: the baby tends to get more gifts on Christmas and tends to have a priceless support team. The cons? To be completely honest with you, as dramatic as it may seem, it can often feel as if we are taken just a little bit less seriously than everyone else, which gets unbelievably frustrating quickly. 

 

The perfect example of this occurred just last week. After what I considered a particularly stressful week, I decided to sleep in on Sunday morning. I woke up later than I typically do to a phone that had at least 10 different text messages and voicemails from my parents, two texts from my sister, and even a voicemail from my roommate, asking me to call my mom. All of these messages simply made me more stressed! So, I decided to write an admittedly passive aggressive text on my family’s group chat, sarcastically apologizing for wanting to have a relaxing morning after not having had a minute to myself that past week. My sister was quick to reply something along the lines of: haha, all of your minutes are yours! 

Remember that thing I said about not being taken seriously? This is exactly what I meant. At the moment, I thought she was implying that my commitments were of no importance and that my busy schedule was not worthy of being considered a busy schedule. I wasn’t in a good mood, and I tend to take things differently depending on how I am feeling, in general. Therefore, once I calmed down, I reread the text and realized she was completely right. 

 

 

She didn’t mean to say that my schedule was not important or full. She simply meant to remind me that my schedule is what it is because I choose to make it that way. My having one too many pieces to juggle is no one’s doing but my own, and is completely within my control. The minutes in my day are mine. The minutes in your day are yours. Do you see what I mean about being ridiculous? It is such a simple concept: our time is OURS! Yet, we so often forget. Don’t forget. It’s an important concept to remember, and next time you feel the pressure to take something on that you do not want to, think of this. Don’t waste YOUR time on anything that you wouldn’t consider worth your while otherwise, especially not to simply keep up with the notion that we all have to have ridiculously busy schedules. If you want to be busy, trust me, your schedule will probably fill up with something else anyway.

 

PS: Shoutout to my sister for her wisdom!