Do Not Get Discouraged

By Dr. Lisa M. Wiśniewski 

In college, there are going to be many moments that are disappointing or difficult. It will be easy to want to give up during those times. The thing is that those difficult times are really a part of the process, and it is better to have that perspective going in than to be surprised. The reason it is part of the process is that you are trying so many new things in terms of subjects, new ways of writing, or understanding new material. It is all going to be a new experience that will take some time to learn to be successful. So instead of seeing this as a discouraging process, view it as an opportunity to learn and grow along the journey. This learning will help you to grow as an individual, a professional, and may help give you direction on who you want to become in the future. Navigating this process can lead to wonderful outcomes in the long term. 

It is only natural that this process can make you feel like college is too difficult, and feelings of wanting to give up may arise. There are a few important tips that will help navigate these moments in your life. I am happy to share some of the items that helped me navigate difficult times in my college career, which eventually led to my success in college and my professional life.

1. Know what you want: I always had a clear direction of what I wanted. I knew I wanted to be an educator, and the college process helped me to narrow down the fact that I wanted to be an educator in college. Since I knew my end goal, I was able to plan my college career to meet that goal. That meant I knew I had to go to graduate school, that I had to find my area of expertise, and that I had to develop skill sets such as writing research papers. My goal also helped me when people tried to discourage me, telling me I was not good enough or telling me my dream was too big. I was able to hold on to what I wanted in my mind when times were tough. So, regardless of what was happening around me, I was focused on getting to my goal, and I eventually achieved it.

2. Practice self-care: most simply, this means finding time to do things that take care of you. This can be a walk in the park, a break from your work to drink coffee, or engaging in activities that bring you joy. Completing college is a lot of work, and there will be many times when you will feel overwhelmed. That is only natural, as you are completing a lot of work in a short amount of time. It is important to know when to take a break and practice self-care. This will provide an opportunity for rest and prevent burnout. As a result, you will be better prepared to tackle all the items that you have to do to complete college, any challenges that arise, and all the new experiences you will have.

3. Do not be afraid of a challenge: there are going to be a lot of new things that are going to come your way in college. Including new information, new experiences, and new opportunities to grow. It will be a lot. It will make you feel overwhelmed and like you want to quit. When I was in college, I always felt overwhelmed by October and always said I was going to quit, but I never did. All these feelings of being overwhelmed are simply new challenges. While they may be difficult, they are all growth opportunities. View them as opportunities to grow and learn, and they will make you a stronger individual and professional in your field. By reframing challenges as opportunities, it helps to minimize the feeling of being overwhelmed and focus on the task at hand.

I hope these tips help manage the challenges that come with college and help from getting discouraged in the process. I’m always here if you want to chat.