College is not easy. That's a fact that has been drilled through all of our heads since we were in elementary school.

"Just wait until college, it's so much harder than high school."

"College is a whole different ballgame than high school."

We've constantly been told that college is hard before we even got there. In actuality, the only thing that makes college more difficult than high school is the adaptation that college requires. College is more than just lectures, papers, and homework (lots and lots of homework). College is a lifestyle that definitely takes some getting used to. College is stressful, it takes work and discipline. Adapting to college is arguably one of the most difficult things to conquer, however, it's easy to make the stress level greater. How? Stressing yourself out by constantly thinking that you're not doing enough or that you're behind everyone else will surely do it.

There are plenty of things to stress about in college. Stress about how you probably haven't been to the gym, or how your nutrition to caffeine ratio is probably off the charts, or the big exam you have coming up. Don't waste your energy stressing about why you're only one who is struggling because that's not even true anyway. You just THINK that. It's easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you think that you're the one person who may not have it all together. That's an unhealthy mindset that's only going to result in more stress… about your stress.

For starters, some people are just good at acting like they have it together. Trying to compare your success to someone else's is a risky game because anyone can say they did well on an assignment or an exam. But do you actually know how they did? No. As humans, especially college students, we find comfort in knowing that we share similarities with some people. It makes us feel less bad about ourselves and less alone.

For example, after a difficult exam, I'm sure every college student is guilty of asking other students how they think they did. Knowing you didn't do as well as you thought you might have, you find comfort in knowing that some people are on the same page as you. Before you stress about your grades and how you did in comparison to other people, just know that it's normal to wonder how others did, especially if knowing others may not have done well makes you feel better. Sure, it may be wrong to find satisfaction in other people's failures, but if it eases your mind knowing that you are not the only person who did poorly, then so be it. Whatever works right? Anyone can say they did well, so comparing yourself to other people, especially if you're comparing your grade to their word, is an easy way to get even more stressed than you already are.

Simply put: it's college, so a lot of other people are close to losing their minds too. Every student has an everlasting to-do list. Whether you have to finish a paper, go to the gym, or study for an exam, every college student has things they need to get done. While some kids may have more things to do than others, it's easy to get consumed by the stress of all the incomplete things on your to-do list. That being said, every student has things they need to get done and every student also has things they haven't done either. So before you think that you're the only one who hasn't completed anything you needed to, just know that there's plenty of students in your shoes as well.

Those kids that act like they "have their lives together" are worst, right? What does "getting your life together" really mean anyway? I find myself often equating "getting my life together" with completing all the tasks I needed to get done. But the reality is, none of us will ever "have our lives together." Every class comes with new assignments and new information just like every day comes with more stress, so it's inevitable that even when we "get our lives together" for the time being, we're going to have more things to do and worry about the next day anyway. When you realize that no one in college actually has all the pieces put together, it takes a little weight off your shoulders.

Everyone has their own things they struggle with. Whether that's chemistry, calculus, or that writing class that you just can't seem to put any of the right things on paper, every student has something that challenges them. With that, obviously, comes stress. Like I mentioned before, college is hard. Likewise, college is stressful. It can be even more stressful when you convince yourself that you are the only one who is having difficulty or is struggling to keep up with the impossible workload. Just realize that you're not alone. Don't stress about being stressed and don't stress about the fact that you THINK everyone is ahead of you because it's all in your head anyway. College is not a competition and if it were, you wouldn't get to the top if you were too preoccupied with the fact that you feel like you should be doing more. Cut yourself some slack, you deserve it.