Lately, time has felt like it’s been going faster. All of my days have been blending into one. During the school week, I never know what day it is. Sometimes, on a tiresome Monday, it feels like a Thursday, and sometimes, on a lengthy Wednesday, it feels like a Monday. I’ll sit in my room, doing homework for what feels like hours, and I get almost nothing done.
Sometimes, I’ll sit in my math class and start feeling anxious or overwhelmed, but instead of taking a deep breath to calm down, I’ll force myself to listen to my teacher because I’m anxious that I’ll fail my upcoming test or quiz. I don’t have time to take a deep breath because I need to pay attention in math so that I know what I’m doing.
I feel like work is piled on all day at school, and then at home, I just have additional homework to do. I feel like I don’t have time to take care of myself anymore. I don’t have time to clean my room or time to do laundry. I feel overwhelmed with life, but I don’t have time to take a deep breath.
With the upcoming midterms, we’re undergoing more and more work piled on all of our shoulders. More assignments, more tests and quizzes to “prepare” us for our exams. What I really would like to do is be able to take time to study for our exams instead of learning new topics until the week before we need to do our exams.
I don’t have time to take a deep breath because I need to do my homework and spend time learning my new topics so I don’t fail my tests and quizzes.
Because I stay up late to do homework, or because I try to relax and have time for myself, I’m waking up more and more drained every single day. I wake up exhausted just to get up and go to school and cram new topics into my already brimming brain every single day. I don’t have time to take a deep breath because I need time to sleep while also trying to have some time to just sit back and relax.
All I want is to be able to do is take a deep breath. I want a break. I want to calm my nerves and anxiety. I want to have a full night’s sleep where I actually wake up feeling refreshed.
Every day, I need to remind myself that it’s okay if I need to take a deep breath. I need to remind myself that it’s okay if I need to stop and sit for a few minutes. It is okay to take a deep breath. It’s okay to take a break. I need to remind myself that I’m more than my grades, and if I need to stop paying attention in math or biology for a few minutes, it’s okay.
Nothing bad will happen. It’s okay to take a deep breath.
