Class four days a week. One of those days has two three-hour classes in it. Work three days a week. Loads of schoolwork. A social life. Hobbies.

Surprisingly, that is a lot to juggle.

This week, I learned the hard way that college can be overwhelming. More than often, I find myself stressing out about the work I have to do for the following week. I’m crushed by the anxiety. Some days I can’t get out of bed, others I just don’t care enough. The work piles itself up on my desk and I find myself ignoring it in order to not have a panic attack.

But eventually, I have to address it. My planner is completely filled for the week and I have to cram everything in. I find myself skipping a shift at work, involuntarily, because I overslept. I overslept because I was up all night either uncontrollably thinking about my workload, or actually working on something.

Then, I realize I have friends that require attention sometimes. I decide to go out, for one night, and actually have a good time. The next morning, I’m met with an awful hangover and the same amount of work that I had the day before. I’m filled with regret. I ignore my friends for a couple of hours and get all of my stuff done. They end up being angry at me. They feel unwanted and as though they are irritating me. I spend some time reassuring them that I am just busy. That takes away from the time I could be working or doing schoolwork. I’m still stressed.

Gee, I haven’t picked up my ukulele in a while. Maybe I’ll record a quick cover before I start my midterm presentation. I end up practicing for two hours and then spending two more hours perfecting the recording. Four hours are gone. Stress comes over me and I find myself popping an anti-anxiety pill (don’t worry, they’re prescribed). But they also have a drowsy effect. I end up taking a three hour nap. I wake up in a daze, and immediately get back to work. It’s not my best because I’m out of it, but at least I’m getting it done.

I get back a grade of C. C! How could I have gotten a C?! I spent so much time stressing over this! I made myself miserable just to make sure I got this done! And I’m rewarded with this?! A crappy grade?! What am I supposed to do to make this better!

I end up begging for extra credit work. Too much extra credit work for my own well being.

The cycle continues.

Moral of the story: Do your work first. Don’t procrastinate. Not that this will matter. You’ll still be overwhelmingly stressed. Welcome to “the best years of your life!”