Dear fellow tired college students,
I'm going to tell you that you can't do it all, and you'll roll your eyes and continue to try to do it all. How do I know that this will be your reaction? Because I roll my eyes and try to do it all just like you do.
You've been exhausted mentally, physically, spiritually, athletically, politically, and every other-ly in life you can probably imagine. People tell you that your life isn't hard, that there are people who would do anything to be where you are now. And those people would be right. Other people do have it harder. But here's the truth: this is your reality, and it's allowed to feel hard.
You're trying to save the world because you've joined all of these student organizations hellbent on making a positive impact in the community. On top of feeling like the future of the economy and social justice issues are on your shoulders, you're working two jobs, balancing four, five, or even six classes, and trying to make friends in a brand new environment. How are you expected to go to the gym, find something good to eat or, (how dare you), have five seconds to yourself?
So what do you do? You cry, you scream, you go for a run, you write down your thoughts, you have a glass of wine, you call your mom. And that doesn't always fix the problem. But it usually can alleviate just a little bit of the stress.
Recently I got an amazing piece of advice when I felt like everything was falling apart: This isn't going to ruin your life. Everyone is dealing with their own bullsh**. People truly don't have time to worry about you, except your friends of course. Forgive yourself for the things you do wrong. Fight for what you believe in. Take time to appreciate the effort you're making.
You are allowed to feel exhausted. You're allowed to stay up and watch three episodes of your favorite show on Netflix. You're allowed to fall behind a day or two on your reading. Why? Because you are human. You are young. And you are just trying to make it all work while making yourself happy.
Do yourself a favor and take a nap. Even if it's at 2 am when you're taking a break from your studying. You deserve it.
Your Truly,
A Fellow Tired College Student
