Take a breather, kid.
The Griffin spent the summer planning budgets, events and schedules, reading and writing leadership materials and meeting with advisors and administrators. Instead of a break, we hopped right into a leadership conference; then, without skipping a beat, we were catapulted into classes. There wasn’t even any time to feel tired or burnt out, so we had to keep on truckin’.
Now, here we are, not even a month into the school year — one of the first school years in a while that isn’t completely shaped by quarantines and mandates — completely exhausted and overwhelmed, hardly even awake enough to be able to sit down and write this stupid editorial.
During the pandemic, we all spent months at home, unable to be active and productive, slowly rotting away. After a while, it was almost comforting. And now the student body is out of lockdown and almost entirely made up of people who have been academically affected by quarantining. We all missed proms and graduations; we missed each other. So we came into college with a vengeance, something to prove.
We don’t want to stand still anymore. After living through a chunk of time where each second felt an hour long, it's hard to fight this new urge to try to fill the time however we can. This downtime only exists between hard hours of the day, be it classes, work or an internship. Our bodies (and just about all stereotypical college kids in movies) tell us that, after these commitments, we should be retiring to our rooms for some well-earned relaxation. Weeks upon weeks of relaxing in our rooms took away any appeal that this once had. We let the downtime be consumed by meetings and events, being on e-boards, volunteering ourselves and our time. They’re not exactly activities to help you decompress after a long day, and they certainly aren't sustainable without a break in between.
We’re not suggesting that every free moment is an opportunity to nap or blow off work we need to do — you’re a student first. What we want to do is debunk the idea that it is expected of all students to be doing all they can at all times. That pressure can feel very real when you’re in the thick of it, but it isn’t. Involvement is a slippery slope. Sometimes you don't realize how much you’ve overextended yourself until you’re stretched so thin you become see through.
Canisius’s students have a lot of heart: it’s practically an admission requirement at this point. With that, they're also endlessly generous with that heart… and their time… and their energy. There’s a good reason why — it can be rewarding and fulfilling — but at the end of the day it doesn’t replenish that heart or energy at all. As much as Canisius wants your involvement, what they need is you, not a tired, transparent shell of you.
We promise you that by the end of your time here, you probably will end up “doing it all,” just not today. So, take the advice that The Griffin needs about every two days and slow down, rest up and practice your “Hell no!” in the mirror before bed every night.
- ACG