The fact that college students are always stressed and burning out is a surprise to no one. Due to spending hours going from classes to work to extracurricular activities, it can be very hard for college students to catch a break.
It is much easier said than done to tell yourself to just take a day off to relax. This is due to the idea that is fed to college students that they must spend nearly every waking moment of their next four years working towards their degree.
Although any sane professor would not stand in front of a lecture hall and tell students that they must always be working (I’m sure some professors would), it is one of the many unwritten rules of college life that people pick up from their peers and the culture that surrounds them.
In reality, that rule is one of the many rules in life that should be broken, but again, it is much easier said than done. The truth is that constantly working every hour of the day will only hurt you in the long run. The accumulated stress will lead to burning out and breaking down which will only decrease the amount of effort put into your work.
Experiencing severe burnout doesn’t just affect your grades; it can go as far as affecting your physical and emotional health. Burnout can cause people to lose energy and become fatigued, while anxiety and stress can lead to a variety of issues such as insomnia or hunger, which can be detrimental to one’s long-term health.
Due to all the terrible things that can come from stressing yourself out to the point of sickness, it is very important to take some time to just rest. Emily Saldana ‘25 says “There’s a point where you need to stop and listen to your body and your mind telling you to take a break. Go shower, hydrate, take a nap, have a snack, catch up on that show you’ve been watching.”
Taking even just one day to spend with yourself and take care of your needs can have a huge impact on your mental and physical health. There is no reason to feel guilty about having a day when you don’t do anything related to school or work. Johnnetta Washington ‘25 states: “Life takes a toll sometimes when you least expect it and it’s okay to [put] your mental health first.”
As college students, we often forget that we should be working towards a degree for ourselves, not for the sake of pleasing others. One of the most important lessons to learn in college is to be independent, and what better way to start than by becoming comfortable with yourself and your needs?
We live in an ever-changing and busy world where we can easily get wrapped up in a million jobs and tasks, so don’t forget that in the midst of it all, it’s okay to take a break.
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