Do you ever have that feeling when all you want to do is collapse in bed and hide under the covers, when you’re so tired but you can’t seem to fall asleep, when talking to people seems like a chore that’s just impossible to complete?
Your heart wants to burst, you’ve got a lump in your throat, and your eyes are falling closed on you. We feel this way when there’s an imbalance, when we’ve bitten off more than we can chew and now we’re left wondering what to do with ourselves.
Although the answer seems to be staring us in the face, simply: “cut some things back, lighten the load,” is not that easy.
Some may understand the crushing anxiety of feeling as though we can’t quit; we’ve taken on a responsibility, we’re relied on, and to turn back now could quite possibly mean failure.
Many grade 12 students can relate. We’re swarmed with life-changing decisions and responsibilities. Along with all the schoolwork we’re tasked with, the juggling can get out of hand.
The exhaustion seems to dawn on us more and more and weighs heavier on our shoulders as we get older. Who can count how many late nights we’ve spent awake, trying to complete assignments, or gone to school running on nothing but fumes, then heading to work for the rest of the day, and perhaps finishing off with spending time with friends, afraid that if we stop for even a moment, we’ll be a letdown?
How do we manage this cycle of overtaxing ourselves? How can we find stability when we feel stuck in chaos? Perhaps if we focus on ourselves and communicate with those who are close to us we may be able to cope with the fatigue.
Macy How is a grade 12 student at Brooks Secondary School in Powell River.
