Let's Be Real: Surviving College Isn't Enough
You know that feeling when deadlines pile up, notifications never stop, and your mind races but nothing gets done? You are not alone. As students today, we face something psychologists now call "hurry sickness.
The Problem We Don't Talk About
We have more information at our fingertips than any generation in history. Yet instead of feeling empowered, we often feel paralyzed.
And then we wonder, what are we missing?
I assumed constant busyness was okay, and was a normal part of the college package. But here is what I have learned. Busyness is not healthy. We do not have to choose between our grades and our wellbeing.
What Stress Actually Does
What surprised me is this: stress does not cause ugly behavior. It reveals it. When you are rushing from one thing to the next, running on caffeine and four hours of sleep, your worst self shows up – not because you are a bad person, but because you are an exhausted one.
I have noticed that when I am well rested and healthy, I am a much better version of myself. That led me to discover four practices that changed everything.
1. Silence and Solitude
Solitude is not isolation. It is engagement with your own soul. For students constantly surrounded by people and screens, this matters. Set aside time to simply be present. Even ten minutes a day without your phone makes a difference.
2. Sabbath
Pick 24 hours each week to practice what the ancient word “shabbat” means. Stop. Rest. Delight. Worship.
Stop working. Stop thinking about working. Stop worrying. Rest your whole person. Process your week. Find delight. Good food. Nature. Music. Time with people you love. Think about how you approach a holiday like Christmas. You make it special. Sabbath is like that. A weekly celebration without the stress.
3. Simplicity
I used to think more stuff meant more happiness. What if more stuff just equals more stress? For students living in small dorms or apartments, this hits home. When you own less, you maintain less. You worry less. Your belongings stop being your treasure. You stop prioritizing their safety over your own peace.
4. Slowing
This one is playful. Deliberately put yourself in positions where you simply have to wait. Take the longer line. Patience is a muscle to be exercised.
Creating Margin
Someone once defined margin as the space between our load and our limits. When your load constantly exceeds your limits, something breaks. Usually, it is you.
Make it your ambition to lead a healthy life. I know. Ambition and health sound like enemies. But what if real ambition was emotional health?
Final Thought
We do not have to do this perfectly. The goal is practice, not performance. When you fail, just begin again.
Wellbeing is not a destination but a rhythm to be cultivated. And we deserve not just to survive college, but to absolutely thrive.
- Charisma Israeline
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