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Alarm sounds. Shower. Class. Eat. More classes. Internship. Meeting. Meeting. One more meeting. Homework/sleep—whatever comes first. Repeat the stress.

This seems to be the trend in my life as a college senior. At the beginning of the semester, I was excited to only take four classes. A light course load would allow me to spend more time at my awesome internship (cough*cough* Brittani, Vicki & Betsy 🙂 ) and dedicate additional hours to my roles with Loras College Dance Marathon and the PR club on campus. Plus, only taking four classes meant that I had no 8AMs and that was the best gift of all. I thought, “I can do this; this is fine.”

The semester was going well until the days felt like they were getting shorter and everything started running together. Even though I knew every week wasn’t going to be like the initial syllabus week, I thought I could handle everything. Great support from my classmates, project group members, colleagues in my co-curricular activities and even better yet, from my bosses at work, was great to have. While the amount of support hasn’t changed, the amount of work has. I know I’m not the only one that feels this way, but it always feels like professors collaborate to find out how they can schedule tests to stress Rachel out the most, and that’s how it feels right now. Juggling homework, activities, internship responsibilities, a social life and my mental state is getting difficult, but it’s fine. This is fine.

I think this feeling is relatable not only to other college students, but in the business world and life in general. The feeling of “drowning” in the responsibilities we accumulate day after day can lead to stress. Which means more headaches, the unfortunate acne for some, an extra cup of coffee, less sleep and some even see an increase in crying and/or yelling. (Hello mood swings!)

The major lesson I am just starting to learn is not to take it all too seriously. I think it’s important to remember that yes, we have to be accountable and we have to hold our weight in our roles, but first and foremost, we need to remember to take care of ourselves. Today was one of those days where it felt as if there wasn’t enough time in the day. But taking a step back to appreciate the opportunities I have been given, the people in my life and the bright future ahead, makes it all worth it. This is fine!

Yes, there are things that add a little more stress in my life than others, but that’s life. Being able to come to work and talk with my bosses somehow calms me down. I arrive at work slightly freaking out most days, but I always leave feeling relaxed, like I am doing something right, even when there are a million tasks to accomplish. This is where I find out everything actually is fine.

I know stress isn’t disappearing anytime soon (welcome to the real world), but knowing that I have supportive friends and colleagues surrounding me makes everything more bearable. I feel once someone finds a supportive environment, they need to acknowledge it and know how they can best utilize it. Also, never underestimate the power of taking a deep breath and taking a step back. Everything will be fine.

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Rachel_Headshot – Rachel Moser │ Public Relations & Event Intern