Prioritizing Yourself During Finals Season
Trigger Warning: This article discusses the topic of suicide. Please only read it if you’re comfortable with doing so.
As we get closer to the end of the year, many things are on the horizon. Cooler weather. The holidays. Time spent with loved ones. And of course, for students, finals.
As a struggling college student myself, I am all too familiar with the crushing stress that the end of the semester brings. I’ve begun to feel burnt out, but still have five tests, two projects, and a whole paper to write before I can cross the finish line that is the end of the semester.
I’ve also come to learn throughout all my years of schooling that school-related stress is a different type of stress. It’s overwhelming, consuming, and tiring. It’s getting through one week, and then knowing you’re going to have to do the same exact thing all over again for the next week.
Recently, I saw a story on the news about students at my own university. In late October, a university police officer received a call about a student in distress. The university Police Department stated that when they get calls from suicidal students, it is usually from the top of a parking garage. In this case, a university police officer had to help the student, and the officer’s body cam shows them actually lifting the student off of the parking garage ledge.
Because of this, the tops of parking garages are now plastered with signs that contain important phone numbers, including numbers to the university’s Counseling Center, and the Suicide Prevention Hotline.
The university Police Department noted that suicide attempts average once every few weeks, but these attempts increase at the beginning and at the end of the semester (which is when finals typically take place.)
So, as we get closer to the end of the semester, remember to prioritize yourself. While school is extremely important and being able to receive an education is one of the greatest privileges, it can also be someone’s biggest burden. There is an unrealistic amount of pressure that is placed on college students, and too often this pressure causes students to crack.
Like I said before, school is important and should be a priority for students. But also, don’t forget that it isn’t your only priority.
The same can be said for work. Often, work doesn’t end when the office closes at 5. We let the stress and struggles from work seep into our home lives, and work becomes the greatest priority in our lives. It can be hard to be present in our lives, because we are concerned with that big meeting that’s approaching, or the fact that our company just lost a big client.
Let this be a reminder for you as we enter a season of business that you are not only allowed to prioritize yourself, you should be. While school and work are extremely important, they are not the only significant things in our lives. Don’t let this discourage you or negate any of the hard work you’ve put into your education or your job. That hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.
Just know, in case no one has said it, you are more than your grades, you are more than a GPA, or a salary, or a position.
Below you can find more resources regarding suicide prevention and how to receive help.