Overcoming a university crisis

By: Patricia Lora

Pace yourself

Stop watching the clock—don’t worry about how long it’s taking you to complete something. Go about it at the speed most beneficial for your personal growth and learning. Unless you enjoy insomnia, chaos and an overconsumption of negative energy, putting your mind through overdrive is definitely not worth it. Remember to give yourself time to figure out what you are and are not ready for.

Remember your passions

I know life gets crazy; in second year, it certainly did for me. I had wanted to go to England and to write for the Silhouette, but my pen remained static.

As students, we become so consumed with studying and making ourselves qualified that we forget about the things we used to make time for. Although it’s important to take the future seriously, remember to have fun and hold on to your passions because they will save you one day.

Use what you’ve learned

The destination is pleasant but would you have arrived there without the tribulation? It may be a cliché, but the journey – both good and bad – is the most important part. This is how you’ll learn to see with a new perspective. Don’t feel guilty that you lost yourself temporarily. Accept what has happened, and your future will be better for it.

Stop comparing yourself to others

Everywhere you go, you will meet new people and be faced with ideas that challenge your self-perception. It’s easy to fall into a pit of expectation; you will always want to be the best and compare yourself to others.

What can you do? Quit glorifying other people’s experiences. I know their pictures and stories make you want to look at your life in the mirror and cry, but forget them! The most you can do is be happy for what they’ve done and move on with your life. All that time you spend worrying about what you’re missing out on can be used to get your journey started.