If you are unfamiliar with the old, classic Taylor Swift "Tied Together With A Smile," please do yourself a favor and give it a quick listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVdc4sxqa7U
As we near finals and the end of another school year, it is a time for high stress and anxiety. Some people handle this end of year stress better than others. Some hide their stress better than others, and then some of us just down right lose it. All of these outcomes are equally as likely given the large amounts of stress that college, both school and extracurriculars, provide.
With all of that being said, it is important to be cognizant of yourself and others. This is not the time to ask for unnecessary favors or assume that everyone is able to put their needs aside for your own. Everyone is equally as stressed as you are, if not more, so don't make your troubles someone else's out of selfishness.
For those of you, whom I can greatly relate to, who feel like that Taylor Swift song was literally written about your life currently, I am so deeply sorry. It is hard feeling like you are about to break at any moment, but to get through the day you have to plaster that smile on your face. Although, there are some psychological theories that would say that just smiling through it all might actually help make it a little better.
It is not easy when you are so worried about what other people think, so you don't let your true emotions come to light. This, while a practice followed by many, is not good for you at all. Because sometime soon, it will all come crashing down. I myself tend to stuff things deep down and not deal with them until it all goes boiling over, but I have learned time and time again that I should really stop doing it that way.
Feeling like a broken vase held together haphazardly by masking tape is not the normal way to feel all the time. Sure, from time to time life is going to deal you a set of cards you don't think you can handle, but the beauty of life is that it usually knows what it's doing. And when it's wrong, you do have the power to take action. Too much on your plate? Take something off. Someone giving too much negative energy into your life? Cut them out. It is your choice.
The most important part of feeling overwhelmed is knowing that you can ask for help. Looking for others for all of the answers is not the answer, but asking for an extension when you need it or extra help in office hours is a great first step. No one is going to write your final paper for you, unless they're crazy and in that case it's cheating, but there are tools through the university to help make it a bit more manageable.
We have less than three weeks left until all of the current stress takes a bit of a hiatus. Until then, keep trucking and being tied together with a smile.
