First day of school be like
Last day be like
Back to school season is right around the corner and this is why today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on it.
The exposure to anxiety and depression are sky high. I have been sitting in classrooms my whole life, yet I still haven 't found the way to combat the intense academic pressure that I will soon have to face for the next couples years ahead of me. College and university is hella hard. It' s as if they were to throw you into the deep end of life, and you were expected to learn how to swim quickly enough, otherwise you' d be drowning.
Don 't get me wrong here. I am forever thankful to be able to attend school and I see myself as a very privileged person, because there are millions of people in the world, still to this day, that don 't even have this right recognized . I am also grateful because even though school is freaking hard, it 's a sacrifice I 'm doing now, that my future self will thank me for. Whenever I feel like it gets too rough, I keep this perspective in mind, and it helps me to move forward.
The message I want to get across here is pretty simple, yet very undermined. Grades and academic performance is important.
However, our mental health should always come first.
In today' s society, the pressure that paves our need to succeed at school has reached a critical point.
The worst part is that it can start pretty early. As an ex- tutor, I have seen parents put so much pressure on their young child for them to be accepted in the top schools, to a point where it compromises their well- being. I have also seen parents who want their kids to fulfill the dreams they never achieved themselves. It' s very alarming to see that the ''striving for perfection'' generation in which we live in, is getting out of control.
From my point of view, I see education as the ideal path for financial security. But the closer I get to the end, the sooner I come to realize that it is not always the case. How many students do I know that graduated with bachelors in demanding fields, even phd' s, and still haven' t found a job one year down the road? Not to mention that some of us will be in debts for the next 10 years, trying to pay back our student loans. Its a tough position to be in, and now that you have your diploma in hand, you are ready to live the real life you' ve imagined for yourself, and you soon realize that the real world is not that much easier. We are trying not to lose our sanity over the fact that we have to handle school, 2 part-time jobs, relationships, and in the meantime trying to eat somewhat healthy and keeping ourselves active...
Oh and what about relaxing? Ya, there' s no such thing as free time.
What is it that students need in order to face the reality of the 21st century? How can we prepare ourselves to confront the unknown once we graduate? What does adulthood has in store for us?
Competition is over present. It is everywhere. On tv. Social media. School. Work. Sport. Name it. We compare and compare ourselves to others and too bad if there' s someone better or prettier than you. If you dont win, you lose. I am in the process of accepting that it' s part of the human condition, it' s something that' s in our nature and that we can not escape, even though I would like to sometimes. I guess we' re born this way? Who knows.
➠ Why don' t we make a conversation about this?
Don' t be afraid to voice your opinion.
And to those of you out there who are going back to school soon, hang in there my loves. You are capable of anything.
My advice to you would be to start off by developing great habits, to ensure the chances of keeping them all the way through the semester. Stay on top of your game, even when you feel like giving up. You will be thankful you did so one day.
📚 Thanks guys! Love you all.
