One month. It feels like ages, but we’ve only been on campus for one month. Going into move-in day and orientation one month ago, I was itching for everything to start: for the first day of classes, the first football game, the first night on the town. However, it has only taken one month for my mindset to completely change. The theme of this past month? To me, “slow down.”
Slowing down is hard in this day and age. We live in a society that tells us to go-go-go, urging us to never let down our personas of confidence and poise. We are expected to not only succeed, but to play the part, look the part, and act the part; in other words, twenty-first century “imposter syndrome” influencers have put societal pressure at an all time high. Thus, I think there are several ways we can “slow down” in order to further our social and academic growths this month on campus.
#1: Slow Down the Homework
Okay, okay. That’s bad advice. But really, if this is you, quit spending all of your time doing homework! If you find yourself spending more than a few hours working, stop. Pause. Take a break. Engage in some valuable social interaction, watch some Netflix, eat a Rand cookie, or just breathe. It’s good to be productive, but we also need time to just be. Don’t be afraid to take a break every once in a while. After all, a little self-indulgence is good for the soul.
#2: Slow Down the Comparison
As Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of all joy.” At a university so prestigious, it is incredibly easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “Man, everyone else has their crap together,” “Everyone is so much smarter than me,” or “Why am I the only one who is failing Gen. Chem?” Everyone has their own battles, and comparing only makes us even more insecure. Believe it or not, everyone else is having their own unique period of adjusting, which often consists of missing home, of feeling overwhelmed by first exams, and of sheer lack of confidence. You are not alone.
#3: Slow Down Studying in the Library
Don’t get me wrong; Central, Peabody, and Biomedical Libraries are great. However, after hours of reading in the dark and dingy cubicles of Central Library Floor 6, life can become…well…dull. Switch up your routine! Try studying on Alumni Lawn or in Panera Bread just down the street. A change of scenery can be a good thing!
I hope we use this next month to grow closer together as a first-year class. I hope we slow down and enjoy the time we are spending here. I hope we never take any second, any meal swipe, or any twenty-minute-walk-to-Wilson for granted. Let’s slow down together.
