So this week, as I scrolled through my timeline, I happened to stumble upon this tweet from one of my followers. The briefness of the message actually made me miss it when I initially looked through my timeline but when I later looked through it again, I found it and it really struck me. The determination behind this tweet is really moving. Naturally, I imagined a sinking boat. Yet, for whatever reason, this boat would not fully submerge under water. Then, I realized how this tweet is so applicable to life situations (which I'm sure is what my follower meant by the tweet in the first place). I imagined situations in my own life that I could apply this tweet to and at first I was stumped. But then, I remembered nearly every time I've been stressed about anything, namely school.Since I was in pre-kindergarten, I've always taken school very seriously. My parents did not tolerate misbehaving in school and they expected nothing less than my best when it came to my academics. Therefore, as I went through high school and now college, I've continued to have the same mindset: I must not fool around in school and I must give school my all. And while my parents' pressures have definitely been a blessing, considering they have only encouraged me to work harder in school, they have also been something of a curse. Now, I put so much pressure on myself! I set these ridiculous standards for myself and when I don't meet them, you better watch out. I become this stressed out monster! I seem to get mad at everyone around me and I always feel on edge. What makes matters worse is these feelings don't seem to subside until I feel like I'm secure again in school (so naturally, the people closest to me seem to think I'm a total nightmare and always assume I'm PMSing). When I get into these moods though, I tend to feel like I'm sinking. I feel like everything school-related is caving in on me. I convince myself that since I got one "bad" grade on a test in one class, I'm failing in all my other classes. I know, I sound like a totally crazy person for putting such massive pressure on myself. However, rather than "sinking", this self-applied pressure tends to encourage me to work harder. When I get into these moods, I refuse to sink.
Can you think of an incident where you felt as if you were barely staying afloat but you refused to sink? Have you been able to learn anything from that experience? Essentially, how do deal with pressure/stress?
P.S. This tweet also reminded me of the clip from "Finding Nemo" when Dori encourages Nemo to "just keep swimming" (hence the title of this post), so I thought I would post that clip for you all as well! :)
I would like to say I throughly enjoyed the clip from Finding Nemo. Dori is always a great source of inspiration. The quote from your follower is so simple but carries so much weight. People just have to keep pushing on and never give up on themselves. It is applicable to so many situations in life. I too have the same pressure from my parents in academics. Sometimes the pressure can be too much but just battling through and finishing my work is one of the most relieving feelings ever.
ReplyDeleteDuring the college applications process, that was probably the most stressful time for me. I knew there was a dawn on the horizon though, so I kept fighting until I finished everything out. After Midterms my senior year, I can say I seriously coasted the rest of the year. Another time was during finals last semester. What kept me going was the idea of winter break, My long awaited relaxation time. Winter break I could go home, be with my family, celbrate the holidays, it seemed like a dream during finals.One way I kept off stress was finding time to sleep. I'm not a happy person unless I get sleep, and its probably the best way to destress. I would always go to bed early during finals week, and find naps during study breaks. It kept my head cool from the daily problems.
ReplyDeleteI like the way the follower phrased the tweet as well. "Barely staying afloat, but I refuse to sink." It is very powerful in a way. Her struggles keep her down, but she'll continue fighting to the end if must. I really like this.
I absolutely love this girl's tweet. I remember that awful feeling of being buried by stress. Last semester I was pledging a sorority, I had just transferred schools, and I was overwhelmed by my classes where I too set nearly impossible standards for myself. I remember I kept thinking that I was just barely keeping my head above water. The attitude behind this tweet is exactly what you need in stressful situations because the attitude of owning your stress can take you a long way!
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