Being a college student holds a lot of responsibility, stress, and great times. It should be a time that students use to build themselves up, make friends, and prepare for future careers and lives. So my question has become, if this is supposed to be the time of my life, the (hopefully) four years that I’ll reflect on for the rest of my life, then why do my friends, my peers, the TV shows, the movies, and almost every form of media I come in contact with glorified self-destruction? Every day I hear students talk about lack of sleep, food, and general self-hatred as part of the college experience.
Please stop believing that the more you struggle the more you succeed. Yes, hard work leads to success; but hard work has a time limit and a mental cap. Know your limit, know yourself, and use your agency to stop whatever you’re doing and take care of yourself. Talking with people doesn’t and shouldn’t be a battle of who hasn’t eaten in the longest, or who got the fewest amount of sleep, or anything like that. Interactions should be an opportunity to build each other up, brag about what you’re doing right, and make sure that your friends are taking care of themselves.
The most common thing I’ve been hearing has been food comparison. When your friend, Becky says that she’s only had a sandwich and an apple today; then Jessica comes back and says that she’s only had a bowl of cereal. Self-care is not a battle of who can do it the worst. And sacrificing your nutrition and wellbeing for schoolwork or this nonsense-battle is a sure-fire way to make yourself crash, burn, and repeat.
Lastly, why do we normalize and glorify not sleeping? This is something I find myself doing a lot. My ideal night of sleep is around nine hours. I function best when I get around there, or even more. The average adult needs between seven and nine hours, obviously it varies per person. Far too often I hear students bragging about going to sleep at 5:00 a.m. and essentially napping before their 8:30 a.m. class the same morning. This is not healthy, this is not normal, this is not okay.
So Purdue students, and students around the US: get your sleep! Eat enough food to keep you going, and do what you know is best to care for yourself. College is not a who-has-it-worst battle until you graduate; while some late nights are too be expected, it is more necessary that you take care of yourself so you are a healthy adult ready for a future career. Listen to yourself and listen to your friends, don’t let the dialogue around sleeping and eating define your experience. Take a break and take care.
