We are currently in the middle of the semester, so classes are in full swing. For me, this means that work is beginning to pile up, and time is becoming more and more nonexistent. The workload is somehow infinitely increasing, making it difficult for me to foresee a future that does not involve some type of homework. Fueled by anxieties and stress, my mind paints a picture of my life in the coming weeks that is a nightmare far scarier than anything I was subjected to on Halloween:
I see myself, alone, accompanied only by the mounds of school books and papers that suffocate me. The time on the clock crosses the grey area of either “extremely late” or “super early” that only night owls and procrastinators, such as myself, dare to enter. Nobody should be awake during such an hour. My lack of sleep is evident through the dark circles that surround my eyes, and I look to be about 100 years old. There are cobwebs everywhere, making it seem as though I have been in the same spot for decades. Surprisingly, the worst part of this nightmare isn’t that I look extremely over-exhausted and horrifying, it’s that the work never seems to stop; it just continues for infinity. I’m happy to say that this dystopian fantasy is nothing close to reality… just not yet at least! Who knows what the future may hold.
Truthfully, and on some levels more realistically, I think the school semester can be described as a sort of storm. There are many different levels to it – it may start slowly, only causing minimal commotion, and as time progresses, so does the harshness of the circumstances. Be wary, though, because the height of the storm might just sneak up on you. It may seem as though you’re in the clear and then BAM, it strikes. That’s what happened to me at least! The dangers of the storm are quite extensive: you will lose sleep, you will lose time, and, worst of all, you may find that you begin to lose yourself.
However, there are ways to prevent this from happening, as there are always systems that prevent “storms” from getting out of hand. One such solution – in fact, one of the most essential things to keep in mind throughout life in general, is self-care. Nothing is more important. No matter how stressful school can become, and no matter how much work is placed in front of you, setting aside some precious time to reconnect with yourself is always valuable. You may find that, after dedicating a moment to yourself, you are much more energized and efficient at completing certain assignments that you found to be quite impossible beforehand. At the very least, taking a break from work every so often might prevent you from having nightmares, like me, of a lifecycle of work that never seems to end. Truthfully, reflecting allows you to reconnect with your end goals, and you’ll quickly be reminded that school is helping you achieve everything that you’re passionate about in life.
In regards to self-care, meditation, journaling, and the revival of certain hobbies are always excellent places to start. When I’m feeling particularly stressed, I like to do something a tad unconventional, but it works like a charm every single time. I set my work aside, say goodbye to it for the moment, grab the nearest set of headphones, and play whatever music I connect with at that time. Then, I proceed to have the absolute greatest dance party of my life. Even if just for a few minutes, it serves as an escape, allowing me to return to reality feeling more excited about life. It shuts out the stresses and anxieties that travel alongside a rigorous curriculum, reconnecting me to my happier self.
Well, now you know where to find me in the midst of a storm: it may rain and it may pour, but I’ll be dancing right through the center. Oh yes, I’m the girl who dances through storms.
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