Frustration with your workload, difficulty from non-academic struggles, crying over a tough assignment: there are situations that can make any of us feel overwhelmed. If you find yourself feeling that way, here are some things to keep in mind and and a few actions to try.
NOTE YOUR FRAME OF MIND
TAKE A BREATH. If you are feeling emotional (frustrated, angry, sad), it’s harder for you to work, but attempting to stifle emotions entirely can be counterproductive. It is worth remembering that your emotions are valid, so give yourself a few moments to feel those emotions rather than suppressing them.
FOCUS ON THE GOOD. Voltaire is credited as saying “the best is the enemy of the good,” which means that we threaten the quality of our work when we insist on perfection. Perfection is not a realistic goal, because it really isn’t achievable (by anyone, not just you – this is true of Olympians, Nobel prize winners, and everyone else). Instead, focus on doing good work. This can help take some of the emotional pressure off of yourself by providing a realistic goal.
REFRAME THE ISSUE. In the moment, an undesired grade or difficulty in a course can loom large. But these things are, in the grand scheme of the entirety of your life, relatively small. Almost no one remembers the grade they earned on each essay or report in college, and that’s because no one grade – even a bad grade for an entire course – can define you. We all miss the mark from time to time, but it doesn’t hold people back from full and happy lives, and it is helpful to remind yourself of this to reground your perspective.
WHAT CAN I DO?
CONSULT THE CALENDAR. Take a look at the next two weeks on your calendar. What are the immediate tasks that you need to complete? Write a list in order of their due dates. Then, take a look at the rest of the term. For any big assignments due at the end of the term, break them down into steps (e.g. for a report, that might include: research/data gathering, drafting sections of the report, editing, and proofreading). Then, work backwards from the due date to figure out when each step should be done. Add those steps to your calendar. Smaller tasksare more manageable, and once you have a small piece of a task done, you will feel better and more in control of your workload.
TALK IT OUT. It might not always seem so, but most students feel overwhelmed from time to time. So, talk to riends, classmates, or roommates about what you are feeling. Sometimes, just knowing that you are not alone in feeling this way can lighten your emotional load – and you could well be lightening your friend’s emotional load, too, with this kind of conversation.
FIND THE HELP YOU NEED. Campus Counselling Services is a good place to go for more coping strategies. You can reach them at 207-859-4490, and their services are free for Colby students.
You can also talk to someone in the Dean of Studies office, such as your Class Dean, for help finding resources to put you on more solid academic footing.
In the event of a mental health emergency, call 207-859-4490 (if calling after hours, then press “0”).
FURTHER RESOURCES
Engineering Expectations. “What to Do If You Are Overwhelmed in College.”
Finkelstein-Fox, Lucy: Crystal L. Park; and Kristen E. Riley. “Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: Promoting Well-Being During the Transition to College.” Anxiety, Stress, & Coping vol. 31, no. 6 (2018): 639-653.
LeBlanc, Nicole J. and Luana Marques. “Anxiety in College: What We Know and How to Cope.” Harvard Health Blog. August 27, 2019.
Purdue University Global. “The College Student’s Guide to Stress Management.” Updated July 2, 2020.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “College Stress.”
Wallis, Ashley. “How to Avoid College Burnout.” Southern New Hampshire University. June 16, 2021.