We are now in week 10 of the semester, or maybe week 11, I’m not too sure anymore, it could be week 9. However long it has been, this has been the hardest semester of my college career. I probably said the same thing last semester, and it isn’t because the classes are become more difficult or because the work load has increased. It has become clear to me that the reason this has been such a difficult semester for me is because the pandemic has taken a much greater toll on me than I would have liked to admit, both mentally and physically.
Not long after the semester started I became sick, thankfully it wasn’t covid or anything, but it made it incredibly difficult to get anything done. I wasn’t meeting any of my goals, I wasn’t eating properly I was sleeping terribly and I couldn’t focus on anything, least of all my school work. I have been trying since I got into school to get out as quickly as possible, I took as many credits as I possibly could I focused all my efforts into my major, I got on good terms with professors so I could ask for help whenever I fell behind, however when the pandemic hit, all of that fell apart. Still, even though I could take any of my major courses online, and I could hardly speak to my professors, I continued rushing to get out of school, and finally all of the stress and isolation has caught up to me.
I have had a very hard time doing just about anything, but I’m starting to get better. I’ve decided to slow down with school rather than trying to rush to the finish and it has been very helpful for my mental health. I’m finally in a place where I can start to get work done. Unfortunately at this point I’ve already racked up a considerable amount of unfinished work, and I may end up failing some of my classes this semester, but I’m glad that I was able to recover mentally, I hope to be able to recover academically next.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, don’t forget to stay hydrated, take your meds, tell someone you love them, wear your mask, and wash your hands.
Mental health is always most important. So it is always good to take a break and focus on you. I hope you feel better!
I hope everything gets better and that slowing down helps you to focus on what matters and working on improving your mental health. Covid has jacked up a lot of things and a lot of people have been thrown out of whack so you are not alone in this. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others if you need someone to talk to.