Dealing with stress

It’s that time of the year again, another semester is coming to an end and all of a sudden everything is due. Exams are happening and life gets stressful. I believe how you deal with this stress is the most important and impactful lesson you will learn at university.

When I started university, I thought what I choose to major in would be the most significant choice I made over my 4-year degree programme. I mean, my major would dictate the rest of my life. It would define my career and what I did with the rest of my life. I put a lot of pressure on my choice. I thought my entire future would depend on what I studied in university.

Here is the thing, the world is changing. Work and careers are changing. Did you know that most people don’t end up working in the same field they got their degree in? Did you know that we will probably change careers at least a couple of times in our lives? Ask the people around you what they studied and what they did with that degree? Ask them how important their degree was in getting them to where they are now. I want to point out that there are some fields in which the programme of study is relevant to the career, doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc. Here is the thing though, not all of us are going into those professions. The world is in need of your unique point of view. The world needs your creativity. The world needs you to be you.

I’ve learned a lot of different things in university. I’ve picked up some cool skills, been to some really interesting classes, and met wonderful people. I can sew and draw up patterns and drape a jacket. I can do my own cash flow statements. I can name the muscles in a cat. I’ve taken a range of classes. I’ve learned a lot of things. Some useful, some not so much. The main thing I’ve learned is that none of my classes define me, or my future. What going to classes, meeting deadlines, and exams, have taught me is how to deal with stress.

NOT GOOD OR BAD

Stress is something that is going to follow us throughout our lives. It is not good or bad, it is just the truth. When you have a deadline or an exam approaching, how do you deal with the stress of the work? Do you panic? Are you really hard on yourself? Once we graduate we might not have exams but there will still be demands from the outside world. There will be things that scare us and stress us out, and how we deal with that is so important for our health and well-being. It is going to define how we move through life.

University is the perfect place to learn to deal with stress. We are literally given opportunities over and over again to practise how we react to stress. Learning how to deal with stress in a healthy manner comes naturally to very few people if any. Most of us need to practise, need to learn ways to cope, we need to learn how to deal with it. University is our playground to do just that.

We are sometimes so worried about our grades, and projects, and the nitty-gritty of being in university, that we forget to take a step back and look at what really matters. You matter. Your health, mental and physical, matters. I’m not saying don’t study or try to do the best you can in your class. Do all of that, but do it mindfully. Practise healthy ways to deal with being overwhelmed. Practise ways to face your fears. Practise balancing your social and work life. Practise dealing with stress.

Each of us has our own experiences in university. We are going to graduate with different majors. Each of us will find our own way in the world. Stress is something that will follow all of us though. It’ll be part of our career and the different roles we play in life, as a mother or father, an employee or a boss. Master how to deal with it now, focus your energy there. This is going to be the one lesson that will have lasting implications for the rest of your life.

[The writer is a Transformational Mindset and Empowerment Mentor, Business Coach for Women, and Host of the podcast Live Inspired; vanessaseymour.com, email@vanessaseymour.com; Instagram: @vanessa.seymour]