Let's face it, college is stressful and exhausting. Your professors throw so much work at that you're expected to complete in a few days, all while still trying to balance some sort of social life and sleep schedule. School is so overwhelming that sometimes I don't even know where to start with my work.
Taking a mental health day is OK. It is ok to take time for yourself and let yourself decompress.
In college, professors and even your own peers can sometimes make you feel that if you aren't constantly working and studying that you're going to be a failure in life. I promise you, you won't be.
I used to overwork myself during my freshman year, to the point where I would have panic attacks because I was always so stressed. I took everything way too far and way too seriously that I never left time for myself.
I just kept working and working until one day I just couldn't. No matter how hard I tried to focus and get stuff done, my brain was so exhausted that I couldn't take it anymore.
I was so stressed and worried about it that I went into another panic attack. I promise you, you don't want your college experience to end up like this.
When my brain sort of "shut off" from school mode, I realized that I needed a break and that I never took any for the sake of my mental sanity.
Ever since then, I take little "mental breaks" every day, for 15 minutes if I'm frustrated with an assignment, or when I can tell I'm losing focus. I walk away, take my mind off of it, and come back to it later.
When I can feel myself getting very anxious and stressed — like during exam weeks — I take lots of mini-breaks while studying, to help ease my mind. Then once my exams are done, which is the best feeling, I'll take the next day off. I worked so hard to ace those four exams in five days that I deserve a break.
Your mind deserves a break after stressing it out trying to study and cram all that info in for a test. I don't even look at Canvas or my email on those days off, because I deserve that. I deserve that peace of mind of not having to worry about my grades or my next assignment or test.
You deserve a break from the stress of college life. You deserve a break from the constant stress of which assignment is due next or how many textbook pages you have to read and annotate before your next class. Don't overwork yourself to the point of a nervous breakdown — I promise it's not doing you any good in the long run.
Sheetal Tadiparty
Flickr Creative Commons
