When Studying Becomes Too Stressful
When my roommate informed me that with a particularly dense midterm week on the horizon, she had no time to spare for a sleepover, I was crushed. Not only did this mean no Drew Barrymore marathons, no Ouija board querries, and no TP assaults on the neighbors, but it also squashed all hopes of reconnecting with my ever-increasingly busy friends. With work, boyfriends, tests, essays, research, sororities, and one newly formed obsession with drawing infants, life seems to be pulling my friends and me in completely different directions.
I know that this is just a busy time in the school year and once we begin to settle into our routines, my friends and I will see more of each other. However, I am beginning to fear for the sanity of my overly studious companion. She seems to have fallen into the same dangerous mindset I, myself, have experienced on occasion. It can only be described as a dismal cloud of stress precipitated by the feeling of being overwhelmed to the point of seriously considering dropping out of school and trying your luck turning tricks in one of the many seedy clubs scattered around the city.
With my senior year well under way at this point, my parents have been particularly on my case about enjoying myself more and not let the pressures of my courses and other activities interfere with my social life. They know that in the past, I have taken on more than I can handle, leaving me in a pitiful state of perpetual exhaustion. Although I have taken their advice to "enjoy my senior year" to heart, I sometimes sink back into old habits. On occasion, I find that my dedicated (sometimes to the point of neurotic) work ethic gets in the way of my good time.
With three years of college under my belt, I feel confident in making the following assertion: the most important lesson one can learn is balance. This may seem insultingly simple, but this fairly common sense idea is difficult to fully embrace and apply. I know all too well the all work and no play side of this maxim, probably because I fear the other extreme. I have heard countless tales of students succumbing to the lure of the party scene and dropping out and, due to a lack of marketable skills beyond beer pong, end up homeless.
While I would not advise a life of fingerless gloves and a trashcan furnace, I would not advise a life consumed with achieving perfection with equal fervor. Having a little fun is necessary. Studying for days on end is not only nerve-racking, but it is ineffective. Your brain cannot work that hard for that
long under that much pressure. Furthermore, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we would admit that much of our "study" time is spent on
Facebook, Sporcle, or diligently checking our e-mail every three minutes. Instead of dooming ourselves to a hellish weekend of recluse within the cold, unfeeling library walls, we need to strike some sort of balance between work and play. should leave ourselves some room for relaxation. As a reformed
perfectionist, I hope I am able to convince my roommate of the necessity of indulging in a night of middle-school-esque bonding. You'd be surprised what a few hours of horror flicks and DIY facials will do for your state of mind and overall health.
