The transition from high school to college is one of the harder adjustments that a student faces in their teenage years. From balancing a heavy course load, to making new friends, to situating yourself in a different environment, it is not uncommon for the beginning of college to feel scary and unnatural. After all, adjusting to a new life comes with its challenges. One of the tougher challenges that I faced, and one that I believe many new college students face, is stress and anxiety.
When I first started college, I was lucky to find a great group of friends that made the transition to a college lifestyle feel more natural. One of the more difficult aspects of my new life, however, was managing my academic workload. In high school, it felt easy for me to keep up with my schoolwork while still having extra time to manage extracurriculars and sports. When I began my coursework as an undergraduate student, I felt as if I was spending days on end studying and that I did not devote time to myself. I soon realized that by only focusing my time on my academic life, I was burning myself out. As a result, I ended up accomplishing less than I had anticipated. Rather than feeling proud of the amount of work that I was completing, I felt defeated and upset that school was consuming all aspects of my life.
I know that these emotions are common and natural, especially for students that are beginning their pre-health coursework in university. Balancing a heavy coursework on its own is challenging, and finding time to put your well being ahead of academics often feels like a task. It took me months to understand the true importance of my mental wellbeing, but I learned that, in improving my mental health, I was also improving my academic life.
If you are beginning college soon or currently are a college student, it is extremely important to develop healthy habits that ultimately will set you up for success. I am a relatively organized person, so I enjoy making to-do lists at the beginning of each day. I found it extremely helpful for me to add ‘relaxing time’ onto my to-do lists, because it made me feel as if I was being productive by giving myself time away from schoolwork. Another activity that I began doing more often is exercising. Whether it was spending 30 minutes doing yoga or going on a run, working out allowed me to take my mind off of academics for a short period of time. The last habit that I started was writing down my emotions in a journal anytime I felt overwhelmed. I got this idea from some of my other pre-health friends, and I know that it has helped a lot of students cope with their academic stress and anxiety. There is something very freeing about writing down your emotions onto a page; it feels like you are removing them from your body and placing them on paper.
These habits are just a few things that I personally implemented into my own life to relieve some of my stress, but it is important to remember to be creative and to listen to your own needs. Academic success is crucial for pre-health students, but it is so important to remember that hurting your mental wellbeing in the process is not sustainable. I am very grateful to have learned these skills that help me to be the best version of myself both academically and emotionally, and I think that every college student should evaluate their mental needs when they feel like college is taking a toll on them.
If these habits are not for you and you would like to seek other forms of help, I have included some resources for you to check out. Remember, you are not alone!
- By Gabby Jabboure
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