So it’s nearly the end of my junior spring semester. This semester, I planned for completing 18 credits for a graduation in Fall 2019. I planned for tutoring an introduction to writing course. I planned to make more memories with friends I’ve known for a while. None of that happened. My words are for everyone. There have been situations in life for everyone where plans change that you really have no control over.
For me, at the beginning of the semester, I took on more than I can handle. I overloaded my schedule with three jobs, two executive positions in clubs and two intense seminar classes for my major requirements. Leftover anxiety from last semester loomed over me and I had to take a step back from some of my responsibilities for my own mental health. Doing so can be a bit disheartening. I felt like I was quitting, giving up.
I withdrew from a class that I am required to take for my minor, which pushes back my graduation date from fall 2019 to spring 2020. In my fall semester, I grew attached to the idea of graduating early in fall 2019 and unfortunately can’t execute that plan anymore, so I’m back on a normal four-year plan. I’ll be a part-time student in the spring of 2020.
I left my part-time, off-campus job and resigned for my tutoring job. Working through stressful lunch and dinner rushes took a toll on me and I had gotten assigned to tutor psychology, which hadn’t been my first choice and I had little control of the subject I was chosen to tutor.
I have been going through a period of feeling a little lost in terms of belonging. I’ve been fading from the lives of friends I’ve grown close with since freshman year and before. I’ve learned to keep tabs on the people who are willing to listen when I need to be heard and who I can provide the same ear for. It can be difficult to accept change when it comes, but it is necessary.
I am in a better headspace and feel more confident in my ability to finish the semester strong and more mentally intact than I might have if I had not made the changes I did. It’s important to put your health first. Not everything is in your control. There are internships you might not get. There are classes you might not be able to enroll in. There are not enough hours in a day. Keep your head up and you’ll get through it.
Kirsten Magas is a third-year student majoring in English with minors in journalism and creative writing. KM867219@wcupa.edu