College students share their time with school, work, friends, hobbies, families, charity, and leisure. While some students are successful with time management, we all still deal with a lot of stress.
Sometimes I feel like a clown because I’m juggling all my responsibilities and activities week after week. I would assume that many other students also feel like clowns juggling school, jobs, hobbies, friends and family.
Although I am only 22 years old, I have just celebrated my fourth year of marriage. I am in the Army National Guard and I participate in KSU’s Army ROTC program. I also work at the Office of Student Life, I’m involved with two churches, and I volunteer at Camp Gideon in Acworth from time to time. In my limited free time I play music, I go hiking Kennesaw Mountain or I may go mountain biking at Blankets Creek in Canton. On top of everything else, we also are expecting a little baby girl in December.
Actually, sometimes I feel like a clown who is juggling chainsaws and riding a unicycle on a tightrope above a fiery pit blindfolded. My life can be very stressful, but I know I am not alone on campus. Plenty of other KSU students may feel the same way I do. I don’t intend to showcase how crazy I am with all my commitments, but to shed some light on how crazy college can be for some. KSU’s populations consists of mothers, fathers, veterans, artists, athletes, activists, and an array of other people that are juggling life as best they can. It takes humility and faith in order to juggle it all with joy.
When I stop to think about how I have gotten through college so far, I can’t help but think about two things that have had a great impact on my life: the relationships that I have developed through my commitments and my faith in Jesus, which helps me endure the chaos.
It is easy to feel depressed when you are juggling so many commitments and activities, but I have learned that it is best to become selfless and serve those around me. Thinking of others is a good way to face my stress with joy.
When your life seems to be falling apart, take a step back and think of someone else’s. Easier said than done, right? But, take a moment and think about the last time someone was selfless and served you. Maybe they just sat and listened? Maybe they went out of their way to help you? Or maybe they just gave a sincere smile and genuinely wished you a good day? Imagine the impact you can have on your own life by making those around yours better. Sounds like a fluffy fairytale of rainbows, right? It also sounds like a selfish selflessness. But, maybe if everyone were selfless, there would be no need to be selfish? I believe dealing with the stress would then become a lighter burden.
Secondly, my faith in Jesus has carried me when I couldn’t drive myself to endure the stressor to be a positive influence to others. Faith is what keeps us in the race, even though the finish line is far from sight. Sometimes, you may need to stop and think about what you hope in to remind yourself that you have hope. Reflect on what you put your faith in, and use it as a daily reminder to keep trucking along.
I am by no means a guru of all solutions, but my hope is that you consider the juggling you face each day as a student and look to the left and to the right to see you’re not alone. Take my experience and use it however you see fit. If it fits well, then I challenge you to consciously make somebody’s day better today. Start by telling the next person you see that they are awesome and give them the most epic, excited high-five someone could ever receive.
