What is stress culture?

It's basically glorifying your stress. Someone tells you that they have an essay and a midterm due this week and you counter it with, “Well, I have TWO essays, a lab, and an exam!”

It's extremely easy to get caught up in stress culture. I find myself getting lost in it, talking about how late I stayed up or how many cups of coffee I've drank, but it's not a good thing. Not getting eight hours of sleep isn't good, but talking about it in a way that says “Hey, look at me, I'm so studious!” is even worse.

I've heard that stress culture isn't as bad at Mount Holyoke in comparison to our fellow Seven Sister schools, but there's definitely a collective mentality of having to do everything. Join orgs, join a sport, have a job, do an internship, declare a major ASAP. Go to off campus events, network, study, do your work, even exercise, but still have a social life, have fun on the weekends and talk to people. At times I find myself feeling shitty when telling people I didn't do an internship over the summer, or that I'm not really in any orgs (because a lot of the time, I'm too tired to go). I can't do everything, but sometimes this campus makes me believe that I should. It can be seen as taking advantage of opportunities, but sometimes I'm just extremely tired, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels that way.

This culture sucks. I try not to compare myself to other people, but it still happens. When I hear about what my peers are doing, I'm impressed and proud, but I also occasionally ask myself “gab...wyd”

So how does one ward off stress culture?

I don't know if I have an answer for that. Focusing on yourself is probably one of the best forms of self care (yes, I know Mount Holyoke always talks about self care). It's so easy to get burnt out. I feel myself burning out and I'm not even a month into the semester. When I do something for myself, even if it's something as small as listening to new music or watching videos on YouTube, it takes the edge off. It really does help. I don't want to be the person who says things like: “Go to bed earlier! Be positive!” because that's easier said than done.

I think it's important to recognize your own limits and not push yourself past what you can handle. There's always something to do, or something that needs to be done. Simply pausing and stepping back from everything that's going on is a great way to unwind. I know there's pressure to get good grades and all of that stuff but at the end of the day, our well being should come first.