A Letter To The Overwhelmed College Student

Dear college student,

This time of year is extremely busy. We are all enrolling for next semester, trying to get our grades up before finals roll around and balancing a million things at once. Sometimes, it's important to give yourself a break. You may think you're too busy to get ice cream with your friends, but in reality, this will not break you. Stepping away from responsibility for short periods of time will not lead to failure. That half hour that you treated yourself to is crucial to the success of your future.

Although I don't realize it enough, it's okay to use that hour of free time to take a nap. It's okay to use that hour to catch up on your favorite show on Netflix, something we don't watch enough of in our busy weeks. Missing your workout every once and a while is okay. You will not gain anything between now and tomorrow.

Something that always stressed me out is finding time to workout. I know that as a college student, we don't have the easiest access to the healthiest of foods. We do, however, have access to the recreation center, but what we are missing is the time to go there. I personally get overwhelmed when it seems that people around me always find time to go to the rec, but I didn't even have time to pee before class. And sometimes all I want to do with the time I do have is to take a nap.

Maybe it's the reality of becoming a full-blown adult that has you overwhelmed. Just last week, I signed the lease for my house for the next school year. A house. Did you get that? A house. I am responsible for one of those large buildings my parents raised me in. Except my parents won't be there to hold my hand. Don't get me wrong, I love this new step towards independence in my life. But the process of looking at houses, doing the research, applying for rental acceptance and actually signing the lease was one of the biggest steps I've ever taken beside actually moving away from home. This may all seem terrifying, but we are all learning as we go. You are not the only one who is scared to grow up.

Just the other day, I was checking to see how much money was in my bank account. The simple act soon resulted in tears and a phone call to my mom. As a college student, I want to be responsible with my money. But sometimes I feel like no matter how hard I try, the money somehow disappears.

No matter how much we may hate ourselves for ordering that t-shirt or giving into that lunch outing with a few friends, we have to remember that we are not failures- we just make a few mistakes. This is the first time we've had to do this money thing alone. For some of us, this is the first time we've had to track our spendings by ourselves. Although I do need to learn to take my own advice, I just want to tell you that we're going to be okay. Somehow, we're going to make it to graduation with our sanity intact.

I know college life is overwhelming. It's a lot to handle on our own. But our parents are always a phone call away and even when they can't be there for us, we have each other to lean on. Just talking to my friends about everything I'm concerned about makes me feel better because hearing about everything they are also dealing with puts everything into perspective. Just remember to take a deep breath, take a break and know that we are all in the same boat, but we will survive.

Sincerely,

Another overwhelmed college student