PSA: It's Going to be Okay

The demands and pressures we face during our time in college are unfortunately inevitable. We dedicate our life to passing one exam just to find another one waiting around the corner to knock us down. We put so much energy into what we think will make or break our futures and as soon as it's over we’re instantly consumed by the next item on our to-do list. 

It’s exhausting to feel there’s always another hill to climb or fire to put out. This time of year, for many reasons, it can be easy to get lost in the pressures and doubts in our own mind. Despite these demands being a staple of the college experience, there are ways students can cope with these issues that often don't get enough attention.

It is vital that students know there are ways to deal with these feelings, and that no matter how it may feel right now, things will be okay.

Looking back over my years in college, I am shocked by how many times I felt totally and completely lost. I felt like I didn't know what I wanted to do, or what I was working towards. I had good times, but I didn't feel fulfilled by the things I did. I put so much pressure on myself to do things “the right way” and when things inevitably did not go according to plan I felt guilt and disappointment. I let anxiety trick me into thinking that I wasn't working hard enough or that everyone else had it figured out, except for me. 

Only through the passing of time was I able to look back and appreciate all the things I had done. Reflecting on past years I wished that I had been more present while I was there, wishing that the younger me knew that things would be okay. 

Speaking to MSU students, I wanted to know what they would want other students to know and how they dealt with this challenging time.

Hayden Yates, an earth science graduate student in his fifth year at MSU told me what helped him through college. “Exercise, meditate, get outside, play music, try to keep every part of your brain active,” Shaw said. He reflected on the difficulty of being a young student. “Take a step no matter how small,” he said. We all know what it feels like to have too much to do, take it one small step at a time and you will get through it.

Junior film and geology major Sam Stalnaker said, “It’s important to remember that sure, college is a big deal sure, what you’re doing is a big deal, but there are bigger things to come.” Right now college feels like everything, but don’t forget that in the scale of your life this is only a small piece. Try not to lose yourself in the uncertainty of one difficult period because there are better days to come.

Uncertainty is an uncomfortable feeling. It is scary to look forward and not know what is going to come. It may be failing a class for the first time, deciding a major or thinking about what to do after graduation. We are all faced with questions we’ve never had to answer, and situations we’ve never seen. For many of us, this is the first time we have complete autonomy over our lives, and this can make us feel even more responsible if we're not feeling great. 

Think about the times in your life when you were utterly overwhelmed by school, family, work, a relationship or anything. It can feel impossible, yet here you are right now, alive and breathing, having gotten through that moment. Anything you may be going through now is no different. Nothing is permanent, good or bad. It may feel different because you’ve never had this exact experience, but you will get through this just as you have gotten through everything before and will look back wondering why you ever doubted yourself. 

Trust in yourself as you would in someone you love. Look at yourself as another person and give credit to all the things that person has done in the face of adversity. Look at the way that person has faced self-doubt before and always kept moving forward. Sure they may have stumbled, and gotten hurt, but they kept moving and learned from it. Recognize that you are that person. It may not feel that way because you’re in the experience, but you really are that person who keeps making it through no matter what. It is innate to the human being you are that you make it through this.

The next two weeks may be difficult for some of us. Perhaps the whole semester has been a struggle or it’s next semester you're dreading. Maybe you’re like me and the last four years have challenged you. Trust that even though it’s hard there are ways to help get through this time. Trust in yourself. Lean on your fellow students and ask how they got through. Understand that if it weren’t for all the hard times you would not be the person you are today and the hard times you face now or in the future are necessary to help you become who you need to be. Take a breath,  remember that everything will be okay.