By Ashlyn Beck | Staff Writer
School controls our lives! Truly, it does. We wake up, study, eat, study, go to class, study and then study some more. On top of that, we stay up late to study, we skip eating to study and we skip class to study. School was never intended to take up this much time and energy.
The way to get better grades, get into a good grad school or get a job is to put less pressure on yourself. Counterintuitive, I know, but it’s the truth. Studies show that the less academic stress students feel, the better they perform. I know that when I put pressure on myself to perform well, I spend more time stressing than I spend doing homework. I feel more rested, do better in classes and get my homework done quicker when I am not overwhelmed from the need to do well — and that is true for everyone.
There is so much pressure to make good grades, but the truth is that it’s just not the most important thing. Yes, we should do our best, but we shouldn’t let it control our lives. We are at a time in our lives when we are surrounded by friends we love, living on our own with more freedom than ever before. Freshman year of college was the first time in my life I didn’t have a curfew, and what did I use it for? Studying in Moody Memorial Library past 1 a.m.
This year, I’m tired of caring only about school. I’ve started spending more time with my friends, using meals as more than just sustenance before homework and not being afraid to stay up late having fun. While my grades looked pretty similar last year, I have so much more energy and joy. I’m closer with my friends, happier with myself and not constantly freaking out over which grad school I’ll go to.
This is easy to say but a lot harder to put into practice. How do we actually convince ourselves that school is not the end-all-be-all? It starts with putting down the textbook every once in a while. If you’re tired, go to sleep. Believe it or not, sleep enhances your academic performance. If your friends want to hang out, say yes. Being around people you trust and love reminds you that relationships are more important than school, and it actually makes you a better student.
The bottom line is this: School is not that deep. School is important, and we should perform to the best of our ability, but we were never supposed to choose it over our mental health, physical health or relational health. So, put the textbook down and go outside. Have a long dinner with your friends. Watch a movie. Remind yourself that school is not all there is to life. It’ll work wonders.
