Stephanie came into BS Development Communication all closed off to the idea that she was only a creative writer. She was always doubting herself, but I wanted her to know that she should not think about those at all. Well, I’ll get into that a little later. To start off, here are the top five things that I would want Stephanie, past me, to know…
While well-being consists of physical health, which definitely must be taken care of, we are not going to be focusing on that. I know that you never really get sick physically, and you have to take care of yourself always, but I have to emphasize more on your mental health. I know that you are not in the best state in your mental health so I wish you would take care of yourself better. School and education are very important, of course, but don’t you think that all of that would mean nothing if you aren’t fine at all? I know that there are days that you are anxious and you are unable to function well, so you end up not meeting the deadlines, and I want you to know that it is alright. Your mental health is always going to be more important than anything else, so, stop worrying about your grades and deadlines, and rest up. When you think that you don’t have the time, make time for rest. Always remember that you are your priority and that your struggles and breakdowns and problems are valid.
This is the more academic aspect of the advice. I know that you are the type of person to wing things freely and do things spontaneously. You really aren’t the most organized person that I know, and you probably think that schedules or to-do lists aren’t that useful. Well, hate to break it to you, but you are that girl that actually uses it. You actually use organizers and to-do lists, and you actually wish right now that you would’ve used it much earlier. It makes things easier and less scattered and chaotic. I promise you that once you become organized, you wouldn’t be so stressed about tasks that you would’ve done hours before the deadline.
The message here is TO NOT PROCRASTINATE. I know that you love procrastinating and cramming your work but you shouldn’t. It makes things really harder for both of us when you do. I could not stress this enough that you actually need to be more responsible and disciplined now that you are in college. You wouldn’t be able to pass if you don’t give your best effort at all. Plan and do your requirements ahead of the deadline, become organized, and remember to fix your schedule. If you let it hang for so long, you would actually become more stressed and will be bombarded with assignments, and the next thing you know… well, you’re drowning in your loads of activities and sorrow.
While you procrastinate for two entirely different reasons: Fear of Failure or Ego, I would be emphasizing more on that ego of yours. To get it out of the way, don’t fear failing or being corrected, because it’s how you improve, and passing something is better than passing nothing at all. Alright, and onto the other reason. I know you… because I am you… and I know that there are moments when you have this confidence that you can wing everything at the last minute. Well, you know what? Your ego is swelling up again, so calm down lower it a bit. Also, revisions will always be needed so don’t feel so down about it and don’t be discouraged. Always think that you aren’t perfect and you always have a space for improvement.
Now, I talked about doing things early on so you wouldn’t be missing deadlines, but I want to make set things straight. If you have to choose between enjoying your college experience and being happy or stressing about deadlines and being miserable, choose to enjoy. You need to be mindful of deadlines and not pass assignments late, yes, but you shouldn’t be doing them at the expense of your own mental health. Our mental health is really fragile, as I have said, so you have to really take care of it. Rest easy because the professors are very lenient with deadlines and they are especially considerate in these hard times. I think that people, especially students like you, are just so serious that you forget that life is actually about enjoying and being happy, not just sitting in that chair trying to get the highest grade possible. Every once in a while, just stand up and walk out, go play with your dog, inhale that odd Sampaguita smell outside of your house, or even just read your favorite book about monsters and lovers. Make time for your hobbies and don’t limit yourself to the assignments that you need to pass. Circling back to the first tip, you need to take care of your mental health.
Anyways, that’s all that I wish that someone would’ve told me when I started to become a DevCom student of UPLB. I am proud of you Stephanie, and you should never be insecure about your skills because surprise, you’re actually doing great with your works right now. So, keep that chin lifted and smile, and have fun. You deserve it. You can do anything you want to, so, don’t worry so much, yeah? Great. Good talk. I’ll be with you again next time. Toodles~
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