We all have a breaking point in college.
Sometimes it
involves an obscene amount of alcohol, a heaping plate full of bad
decisions and a nice side of lifelong regret. And sometimes, it involves
some kind of psychotic meltdown. One day, everything seems normal, then
your roommate comes home to find you hysterically laughing at something
most people would find only slightly amusing, like a dog wearing a
funny hat — but you’ve been in tears laughing and rolling around on the
floor for 30 minutes now.
You know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t
it's because you are new to college and will find out extremely quickly
how true this is. If you are lucky, you haven’t had a complete mental
breakdown yet, where you question everything you’ve ever done, what
you’re doing with your life and contemplate pursuing your true calling
as a beach hobo who sells balloon animals but decide against it because
you haven’t fully mastered the art of balloon animal making yet, but one
day. Yes, one day…
I do have three helpful tips to help you delay this inevitable break down, though. If I am too late getting to you, then maybe I can help you avoid the second round for as long as possible (Yes, there are multiple rounds. Welcome to the real world; it sucks).
1. Guilty Pleasure: If you can feel yourself on the verge of a breakdown (I’m talking something small, like the line at Starbucks being too long, someone looking at you funny or even pulling a push door that is going to send you over the edge), I encourage you to indulge in one of your favorite guilty pleasures. Whether it’s reading People magazine, eating a weird combination of junk food or people watching, do it, and do it as soon as possible. If you can avoid a meltdown by simply consuming an unknown amount of calories (do not EVER read the label if you are eating purely for comfort) or watching corny movies, then put everything else on hold and do so.
2.(Un)positive thinking: Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of ignoring the world for the day to stay sane. That means it’s time for some good old fashioned (un)positive thinking. What is (un)positive thinking, you ask? Let me enlighten you. It’s when you try your best to look at the bright side of things, end up looking at the negative side of things and yet still feel better. For example: Sure my roommate ate the last Pop-Tart, my boyfriend dumped me and my cat died, but my favorite cheap wine is on sale, and now I have a good excuse to drink. Or maybe your problems start to seem not as bad, because you see someone struggle-bussing really hard in Hodges. It’s not bad to laugh at other people’s pain if you do it in your head, right?
3.Power through: As tempting as the first two options are, to be blunt, life happens; and most of the time we have no other option but to power through. This is the most mature option of all three and is only recommended for those with zero self-hatred and a high level of self-control. That’s not to say it is impossible though. As Vols, we put the Power T in Power Through.
All three of these methods have high success rates, as long as you catch the meltdown before it begins. So just remember, as tempting as it is to drop out and chase fame through your mad vlogging skills (give up now), find something that keeps you sane and keep your head up. Even though things are hard now, and college seems like a form of torture at times, enjoy every second of it. Eventually the stress from finals and essay deadlines comes to an end when you graduate and something far worse ensues: real life.
Emily Moore is a sophomore in journalism and electronic media. She can be reached at emoore52@vols.utk.edu.
I do have three helpful tips to help you delay this inevitable break down, though. If I am too late getting to you, then maybe I can help you avoid the second round for as long as possible (Yes, there are multiple rounds. Welcome to the real world; it sucks).
1. Guilty Pleasure: If you can feel yourself on the verge of a breakdown (I’m talking something small, like the line at Starbucks being too long, someone looking at you funny or even pulling a push door that is going to send you over the edge), I encourage you to indulge in one of your favorite guilty pleasures. Whether it’s reading People magazine, eating a weird combination of junk food or people watching, do it, and do it as soon as possible. If you can avoid a meltdown by simply consuming an unknown amount of calories (do not EVER read the label if you are eating purely for comfort) or watching corny movies, then put everything else on hold and do so.
2.(Un)positive thinking: Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of ignoring the world for the day to stay sane. That means it’s time for some good old fashioned (un)positive thinking. What is (un)positive thinking, you ask? Let me enlighten you. It’s when you try your best to look at the bright side of things, end up looking at the negative side of things and yet still feel better. For example: Sure my roommate ate the last Pop-Tart, my boyfriend dumped me and my cat died, but my favorite cheap wine is on sale, and now I have a good excuse to drink. Or maybe your problems start to seem not as bad, because you see someone struggle-bussing really hard in Hodges. It’s not bad to laugh at other people’s pain if you do it in your head, right?
3.Power through: As tempting as the first two options are, to be blunt, life happens; and most of the time we have no other option but to power through. This is the most mature option of all three and is only recommended for those with zero self-hatred and a high level of self-control. That’s not to say it is impossible though. As Vols, we put the Power T in Power Through.
All three of these methods have high success rates, as long as you catch the meltdown before it begins. So just remember, as tempting as it is to drop out and chase fame through your mad vlogging skills (give up now), find something that keeps you sane and keep your head up. Even though things are hard now, and college seems like a form of torture at times, enjoy every second of it. Eventually the stress from finals and essay deadlines comes to an end when you graduate and something far worse ensues: real life.
Emily Moore is a sophomore in journalism and electronic media. She can be reached at emoore52@vols.utk.edu.
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