Opinion

The secret is just to calm down

Jermika Bradberry
guest columnist

Inferiority complexes, self-doubt, and lack of self-esteem are all obstacles that can be overcome with one simple solution -- giving yourself a friggin' break!

It amazes me how seriously most people our age take themselves when we just a second ago did away with our immature, simple thoughts to enter into the realm of adulthood. In reality, this is the stage in our life when we are just figuring out who we really are and we are expected, sometimes encouraged to go out into the world and screw up. I mean, when else is it commonplace for someone who has to wake up at 7 a.m. the next morning to stay out the night before until 4 a.m.?

After all, why are we here in the first place? To gain the skills necessary to complete a degree (or degrees) so that we will one day be gainfully employed and enjoy careers that we love. We all know that there are times when everything will not be great (refund checks are late and rent is due) and things look dismal. If this is so, then why is it that some turn tail at the first sign of a dilemma and immediately began to worry, cry, or beat yourself up? Things of this nature are to be anticipated. 

It becomes very easy for someone to completely devalue themselves based simply upon financial struggles, poor grades or even a bad breakup, when all that has really occurred is that one particular entree in the buffet of life has turned sour. Doing so makes it easier for them to fall into the abyss of low self-worth at the onset of the smallest disappointment. The only point at which it becomes acceptable for someone to fall to the floor kicking and screaming in futility is when he or she have resolved within themselves to do nothing about their situation.

Do not mistake my view as a means to excuse ragged behavior because I fully understand that as students we should strive to be our very best at all times. It's just that at some point a line must be drawn between attempting excellence and stressing yourself out for no good reason at all.

It is often said by those who have come before us that college should be the best years of your life, so why is it that some folks turn themselves into prematurely-wrinkled grade zombies after four years? Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with achieving -- just don't kill yourself in the process; have some fun, too.

So, as we travel full steam into the new semester at UH, let's not remember that we will all make mistakes (some of us more than others), but that hard times are only as difficult as you make them. Just relax, take a deep breath and learn from them because moaning only retards the process, making it harder to move on. Only when the whining stops can true growth and maturation begin.

Bradberry, a sophomore USD major, can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu.
 mailto://dccampus@mail.uh.edu.