As a college student, life can be stressful. One must juggle a social life, academics, and sometimes a part-time job to boot. It's not an easy task, and with daily interactions with others, drama is sure to ensue.
A good way to go about dealing with stress and conflict is mindfulness. Mindfulness is about focusing on the present, letting go of the past, and not fixating on the future. It's about enjoying the here and now, and appreciating your life — rather than lamenting it.
Focusing intently on the future or past events is not healthy, especially for personal growth. One cannot change the past, no matter how much they want to. Obsessing over past grievances and transgressions will do no one any good and is a fruitless endeavor. Planning for the future rather than enjoying the present takes away from the joys of living.
As a human, it's natural to feel hurt and to hold grudges. We want apologies when people are mean or have wronged us. However, we can't control others' actions — only how we react to and behave. Mindfulness is about being the bigger person, letting go of personal vendettas and not being petty.
It's hard to do this, especially as people often are reluctant to accept their role in the conflict. It's hard to accept not being right, especially when conflict occurs. The best remedy for this is to acknowledge the other side, empathize with the person you're in conflict with, and then accept what has happened.
Mindfulness allows us to stay in the present, become more self-aware, and not overreact to events in life. No one can control what happens in their life or how people behave. It's vain to think so.
Meditation and mindfulness are very similar. They both allow people to slow down, think, and contemplate things. It's effective in reducing stress, accepting misfortunes, and letting go of the little things. Mindfulness is also crucial in learning self-love and forgiveness.
It's common for people to be their own worst enemy. It's hard to forgive ourselves, especially when we make mistakes and let people down. No one wants to feel like a failure or to disappoint people. But beating ourselves up isn't the solution — it only allows one to wallow in self-pity rather than learn and grow from their mistakes. No one is perfect — we all mess up in life. It's how we learn from our mistakes and grow from them that makes the difference.
Forgiving ourselves is hard, but forgiving other is even harder. Learning to empathize and sympathize with someone who has wronged us is a marker of true character, and frees us. Hatred is a terrible emotion that ties down both parties. It's beneficial to let go of hatred and learn to accept.
Learning mindfulness is incredibly helpful, as it allows people to move on from the past, stop fixating on the future, and instead live fully in the present.
