Viewpoints Editor Isabella Gresham’s “This I Believe” graphic is shown. Gresham discussed her struggle with balancing schoolwork, clubs and extracurriculars and the importance of prioritizing mental and physical health. “With such large aspirations for myself and my future, I have worked to learn and understand that while working towards a goal is generally beneficial, it doesn’t make you invincible, and it definitely is not an excuse for treating yourself poorly,” Gresham said. Graphic by Isabella Gresham
Viewpoints Editor Isabella Gresham discusses her belief in the need for prioritizing and giving yourself grace.
Hi, I’m Isabella Gresham, a junior and the Viewpoints Editor for the ODYSSEY Media Group. This is “This I Believe.” These are essays that discuss the origin, importance and rationale behind people’s personal belief systems. Students will share their personal essays discussing how these beliefs affect their everyday lives, times they may have been challenged, and how they may impact the lives of those around them. This is “This I Believe.”
A million thoughts are constantly racing through my mind.
I sit in class and think about the ten different homework assignments I have. I stand at work and instead of focusing on my actual job, I’m thinking about the three tests I have this week. I lay in bed and wonder how I will be able to get enough sleep with everything I just have to get done before tomorrow comes.
Simply put, it feels impossible to get everything done.
As I plan to go into the medical field within the next few years, it feels as though everything I do now, and throughout my four years of high school, matters and must be done perfectly and orderly to reach my end goal.
With such large aspirations for myself and my future, I have worked to learn and understand that while working towards a goal is generally beneficial, it doesn’t make you invincible, and it definitely is not an excuse for treating yourself poorly. There are 24 hours in a day and only so many tasks you can get done in one, no matter how hard you’re working. Understanding that it is OK to give yourself grace diminishes the stress a constant workload brings.
So, instead of overloading myself with the million items on my to-do list that I made just for that night, I am learning to prioritize. Now, my to-do lists are better outlined, with dates and a color-coding system determining which tasks are the most urgent.
In terms of assignments, beginning with what is due the soonest or has the most weight allows for better organization. For example, pushing back a formative homework assignment due in two days for a summative project due in three focuses on the most crucial items. Additionally, chipping away at tasks makes them much more manageable.
Giving myself short 30-minute work sessions with five-minute breaks in between allows me to split up the mound of work that seems to never stop piling. It makes it attainable rather than unfeasible.
And if the mountain of work ever seems to be completely and totally too much, I now know that I just have to take a step back, breathe and understand that I’m just one person.
The many clubs and extracurricular activities that will “look so great on a college application” can never measure up to the importance of health and well-being.
No matter how important a task may seem that day, I have to remind myself that in a month I won’t even remember it. Something that seems so all-consuming right now will eventually become nothing more than a miniscule thought at the back of my mind.
While my work must get done and I do have crucial goals I am working towards, I’ve come to understand that still, no matter what, everything cannot get done at once. So, by focusing on the tasks that do get me closer to my goals and that serve as the most important, I am able to scale my page-long to-do list down to something controllable.
Rather than fearing the seemingly short 24 hours in a day, I have learned to use them to my advantage. I can now make sure I am getting enough done to be satisfied, but not tired and drained for the next morning. A future goal will never be worth overworking yourself.
Now, I sit in class and solely focus on the task at hand. I stand at work and make small talk with the customer in front of me. I lay in bed and go straight to sleep, content with the work I completed that day.
This I believe.
