Why is college so hard? Yes, college can be a lot sometimes, so here are 7 ways to make your school life easier.
Why Is College So Hard and Stressful?
College can be hard and stressful for a number of reasons. At the young age of 18 (usually), you now have to live on your own or share a dorm room with roommates, figure what you what to do with your career, balance a part-time job and schoolwork, make new friends, join clubs, eat healthily, take care of your mental health, and the list goes on!
Honestly, it’s A LOT! I remember crying myself to sleep during my first year of college because I was feeling so overwhelmed with EVERYTHING. Especially during finals weeks!
Now that I’ve graduated, I’m really proud of myself for never giving up during those difficult years at school. If you’re going through tough times right now at university, I just want you to know that things will get better! Life is full of ups and downs, and it’s through overcoming these tough times that we learn to appreciate those good days : )
Is It Normal To Struggle In College?
It’s completely normal to struggle in college. In fact, I would say that almost 80% of my friends in college were really going through it at some point. And it’s completely okay to admit that you’re going through some sh*t and show your vulnerability. Most of the time, it can actually do you more harm if you suppress your emotions and never let them out.
When we’re focusing on our academics, it’s really easy to forget to eat healthy, sleep well, take frequent breaks, and take care of ourselves mentally. When we’re not getting enough sleep and staying physically healthy, our mental health would inevitably start to deteriorate as well.
Is College Harder Than Work?
It really depends! Some work environments can be extremely stressful, in fact, more stressful than college. But some work environments are quite chill and allow you to have freedom and flexibility. Another factor to consider is whether or not you’re working at a job you like. When you’re not enjoying the work you do, life can start to get stressful and difficult fast!
Personally, I think working in a corporate job can be more stressful since the quality of your work doesn’t just affect yourself, but the entire company as well. On the other hand, college can be more difficult than work in that you don’t have the weekends off since you have to study all the time.
Either way, life can be difficult no matter which stage of life you’re in. So developing mental toughness is super important to help you keep going in spite of obstacles.
Related Post: Does life get better after college? Everything you need to know
7 Ways To Make Your College Life Easier
Life can get rough at times, but there are always ways to make it better! People often say that your college years are the best years of your life, but no one really mentions the real-life struggles that you’ll also go through. Here are some tips to help you better navigate this confusing, hectic, yet exciting time of your life.
Find Support and Reach Out For Help
Never ever feel embarrassed or ashamed to reach out for help! If you’re struggling mentally, reach out to counselors at school or family and friends. Talking about your emotions and what you’re going through can help immensely in releasing pressure and negativity.
Trust me, everyone goes through tough times during their college years. Either they’re having problems with their roommates or living situation, struggling to keep up in a difficult class, feeling alone at school, or going through a tough financial situation.
It’s a normal part of life, but you’ll get through it. In the meantime, reaching out to others for support will help you feel less lonely.
Take Deep Breaths
People often underestimate the power of taking deep breaths in stressful situations. I personally never believed in taking deep breaths until I tried it myself when I was having a panic attack in my dorm room.
Taking deep breaths helps you feel more in control of life when things are not going your way. While you’re controlling your breaths, take the moment to focus on the present. Tell yourself that everything’s going to be alright even if you don’t believe it.
✨Pro Tip: What helps me tremendously when I’m stressing out about life is to think about the fact that we’re literally living on a giant rock that’s spinning around in the middle of absolutely nowhere! Just this thought alone makes all worries seem minuscule.
Use A Student Planner
Omg, I can’t emphasize how important it is to keep track of your college schedule with a student planner. Without it, it’s almost impossible to remember every single deadline and exam/quiz date for all of your classes. I didn’t have a student planner my first semester and that was a BIG MISTAKE. The number of important dates I forgot was actually embarrassing, lol.
If you still haven’t gotten a student planner yet, what are you doing girl? Grab one right now, you’ll thank me later.
????Don’t know which student planner to get? Check out this 68-page Printable Ultimate Student Planner that you can print out as many times as you like. With this, you won’t need to buy a new planner each semester, and save tons of money ????
Try the “Miracle Morning Routine”
If you haven’t heard of the “Miracle Morning Routine“, I highly recommend that you check it out. This routine was developed by the best-selling author Hal Elrod who wrote the book “The Miracle Morning”.
Not having a structured daily routine can make college life even tougher. By starting the day right, you can set the tone for the rest of the day and be the best version of yourself. Below is a brief overview of the six steps in the “Miracle Morning” routine which Hal Elrod abbreviated as “S. A. V. E. R. S.”
1. Silence: Sit in silence and meditate
2. Affirmations: Repeat positive affirmations
3. Visualization: Visualize your ideal day or ideal life
4. Exercise: Get your body moving and oxygen flowing
5. Reading: Read a personal development book
6. Scribing: Journal and write down your thoughts
Take It One Step At A Time
One thing that could make college super stressful is the idea that you should have your life together. The reality is, the majority of us (even after graduation), still don’t know what we want to do with our lives. However, life is a journey, and we’re not supposed to have it all figured out! If we did, there would be no fun or lessons for us to learn.
Stressing out about the future can oftentimes paralyze our decision-making skills because we feel overwhelmed or incapable of controlling the future. Instead, by breaking our goals down into short-term tasks, we can better organize our time and tackle each day.
Take it step by step, and day by day. Trust the process, and know that as long as you persevere, work hard, and focus on your vision, you’ll achieve whatever you set your heart to.
Exercise Regularly & Eat Healthy
Exercising regularly can really change your mood! Tons of studies show that when you exercise, your body releases endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in your body. So if you’re feeling stressed out or overwhelmed by schoolwork, head to the gym! Even if it’s just for 30 minutes, it will help your physical and mental health tremendously.
One thing that helps me feel motivated to go to the gym is music! I recommend creating a workout music playlist on Spotify to hype yourself up and get you in the mood to exercise.
Of course, eating healthy is just as important as exercising. Cut down your consumption of snacks, junk food, and sugary drinks. These unhealthy food options only weigh your body down and make you feel drowsy. Swap them for salads, water, and protein-rich foods instead.
Know That “This Too Shall Pass”
“Everything in life is a mind game! Whenever we get swept under by life’s dramas, large and small, we are forgetting that no matter how bad the pain gets, no matter how harrowing the torture, all bad things end.”
David Goggins
You survived every single one of your bad days, in fact, your survival rate was 100%! How amazing is that? Whenever you’re going through tough times in college, just know that “this too shall pass”. No bad days will last forever, and there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. Once you get through it, you’ll be so glad that you didn’t give up on yourself.
✨Pro Tip: If you haven’t read David Goggins’ book “Can’t Hurt Me“, I HIGHLY recommend it. He’s definitely the most mentally tough person I know. Reading this book has helped me sooooo much in life and taught me how to master my mind and persevere through struggles.
Is College Supposed To Be Hard?
I don’t think college was intended to be hard. But as a young adult that just started navigating life on their own, things could get tough! In high school, we lived at home and had everything taken care of for us. The only thing we had to worry about was getting a good grade.
But as we enter university, we start to feel the stress of finding a good job, paying off our student loans, succeeding in life, and much more. Essentially, reality starts to kick in during this period of our life and it could be quite hard to accept that we’re no longer kids.
College Will Transform You!
Even though college will throw a bunch of obstacles at you (that was the case for me, haha), it will completely transform you and make you a much more mature and well-rounded person.
18-year-old me and 22-year-old me were soooooo drastically different! Before college, I had zero confidence, couldn’t speak up for myself, couldn’t communicate, didn’t know my worth nor did I know what I wanted in life.
After all the sh*t I’ve been through in college, I came out a completely different person and I’m so glad the universe threw all those challenges at me. It made me the resilient person I am today.
Yes, college can be hard! But don’t let these hard times break you down. Instead, use these difficult moments as an opportunity to level up mentally and strengthen your mind.
Failed a class? It’s okay to be mad and disappointed for a few days. But don’t let these emotions control you! Since there’s no way to change a situation that has already happened, let’s move forward and find solutions!
Everything happens for a reason. And I truly believe that! Everything that I thought went wrong in my life always propelled me toward better opportunities and better days. Keep this in mind and trust that the universe is always taking care of you.
Wishing you the best in your college years! Have fun and cherish every day at school. You’ll miss it!
xoxo,
Jamila
