Art by Samantha Miller
With a little under a month left in the spring 2022 semester and students receiving notifications about final exams and assignments on a daily basis, it is easy for them to become overwhelmed. With every day being a due date, pausing to rest is necessary for students to reach their highest potential.
Students deserve a break after pushing themselves to meet approaching deadlines for assignments. The pressure can make students consider giving up, abandoning their responsibilities and accepting defeat. While being involved in various organizations is certainly rewarding, it can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and not knowing where to start.
It can be easy to believe the voice in your head saying you aren’t doing enough. But what if you accepted where you are in terms of your studies and took it one step at a time?
Being uncertain about the future and your performance ability is normal. Only 3 in 10 students reported confidence in an ability to find jobs after graduation, according to an article in Forbes magazine. College is a time to discover both yourself and your passions. Sometimes things will become difficult, and feeling unsure is a valid reaction.
Needing to put your head down and get the work done is OK, as well. Just because someone seems to have time to go to the Country Mart with friends, doesn’t mean they don’t also have days spent at Payson Library.
Pepperdine students are also notorious for having packed schedules, according to Pepperdine’s Student Life website. Running from classes to club meetings to homework leaves little time to rest and rejuvenate.
It can be especially difficult when the person who “does it all” executes their obligations flawlessly, but comparing oneself to others is unhealthy and unhelpful.
Scheduling is a major factor that plays a part in performance. Most college students spend 15 hours in class a week, which does not even include various extracurriculars such as athletics, clubs and on-campus organizations, according to OutScholar. Additionally, the amount of time in class is one thing — the amount of work that class requires between assignments and study time is another.
Each class is different, and so is each student. While some of your peers might excel in a class you struggle with, it does not mean you are any less intelligent. For example, students may struggle adjusting from an online learning format, according to Child and Adolescent Behavior Health.
COVID-19 symptoms, including brain fog, also affect students beyond the initial infection — decreasing their motivation to work.
Being hard on yourself and giving up is not the solution to perfectionism. It’s important to do what you can accomplish, and take your path to success moment by moment.
Pepperdine provides some solutions. The Counseling Center offers professional help for students who are struggling with anxiety and depression. It promotes mental well-being and strives for success among students. Pepperdine’s Counseling Center also provides support groups outside of individual sessions.
Another resource is the Pepperdine Resilience-Informed Skills Education (RISE) Program. RISE’s goal is to help students improve their resilience skills and care for themselves and others in times of difficulty.
For academic help, Pepperdine’s Student Success Center offers students free tutoring and individual academic coaching. There are also Learning Skills workshops to help you stay on track with your studies.
The Student Success Center’s next event, Find Your Focus, will take place April 6 at 6 p.m., in the Fireside Room and aims to educate students on how to remain focused when distractions abound.
It is OK to need help and utilize the resources around you. Needing someone to lean on from time to time does not mean you’re weak — it just means you’re human.
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