by Xypher Pino

The start of every school year is always an interesting experience to reflect upon. I view this time as a point of both beginnings and endings. During the summer, I am sure that most of us had the chance to create fun and amazing memories but, unfortunately, that time now ends because of school. At the same time though, because of being back to school, now we get the chance to create new memories and indulge in new experiences.

For some, going back to school is fun as you see both new faces and old peers but for others, going back to school can be sad as now they have to leave family and friends behind. Others may view school as a way to escape reality as their summer may have been filled with unexpected stressors, while others may view school as a way to return to reality. Rarely do emotions get as mixed up as they do during back-to-school time, and I find it fascinating that people have varying opinions on the new school year depending on personal experiences.

If you ask me about my stance on this new school year, I find it difficult to give an answer. Usually, I am very excited for the start of every school year because I get to return to a more organized life. I still remain productive over the summer through work and some school-related tasks but for the most part, I am usually focused on having fun and stepping away from my responsibilities. I spend most of my time with family and friends, not really worrying about anything real.

Always though, at some point during the summer, I miss the feeling of being intentional with my time – this is when I begin to get excited about coming back to school. School is where I can really grow my character and build myself up to be able to confidently achieve my career aspirations, and I have found this process very enjoyable. For this upcoming school year though, I feel different than I usually do in previous years. This time around, I honestly feel afraid. It has only been a couple of weeks since the start of the semester, but the pressure from my commitments is quickly mounting. Too early and too quickly into the semester, I am already feeling very overwhelmed.

This is my third year at Greensboro College and every semester that I have been here, I have been adding at least one more responsibility to my plate. After the fall semester of my freshman year, I committed to The Collegian and started doing a lot of work with our website and social media pages, eventually becoming an editor. During my sophomore year, I developed a great relationship with Dr. Robert Brewer, the Campus Chaplain, as I led GC during the 2023 NC Hunger Challenge and began to oversee operations of the Pride Pantry. On top of all of that, I have committed to multiple other roles on campus such as becoming a peer tutor, a Supplemental Instruction Leader, being a part of the Student Government Association’s executive board, amongst other things. For this school year, as if I have not done enough yet, I have become a fellow for NC Campus Engagement’s inaugural fellowship program, where I have developed a project to improve the state of civic engagement at GC, and I will be running that project throughout this academic year. Essentially, it is very difficult for me to say no to opportunities, and I do not have any sense of how much I can actually handle; hence, the reason I am in the position that I am in right now.

A possible solution to this problem is to simply not overcommit, but that is way easier said than done. I think many of us can relate to this – we are all here in school to focus on what we deem as important to both our present and future lives. I know many students who are placing all of their time and effort into academics and/or athletics, sacrificing many things to be great in that, because that is what they care about.

Even with staff and faculty, I see plenty that are doing way more than what is required of them, simply because they actually care. It is very hard to get a realistic sense of yourself and the opportunities that come about, especially when they are about something that you care about. Often, we get easily overwhelmed because we commit to something without realistically considering the negatives and positives of tackling something new.

Being overwhelmed is such an easy thing to get yourself into, and it can be very challenging to manage the emotions associated with it. Anytime that I feel overwhelmed, I find it extremely difficult to concentrate on anything. I am reminded of all the tasks I have coming up and the very busy schedule I have ahead and I begin to feel hopeless. My state of mind falters as I start to doubt myself and begin breaking down my own character, saying and believing things which are not remotely true, Negative thoughts fill my brain as I feel helpless about my situation, infinitely spiraling down in a state of despair.

Though once I remind myself about the reason why I do the things that I choose to do, everything becomes better. Everything I am committed to, I commit to purposefully – I only do the things which I genuinely find enjoyable and inherently satisfying to do. One of the main driving forces of my life is always doing, and only doing, things which make me happy. In college, I am very overwhelmed, and I wear that title proudly. When I feel overwhelmed, I am reminded that I am doing things that make me a better person, doing things that make me a better contributor to society and doing things that make me happy.

Once I realize this, then I can step away and come back to neutrality, to more positive thoughts. I can then implement direct strategies to further decrease my stress. With a clear mind, I can prioritize the most important things to be done, break my tasks into smaller steps and set realistic benchmarks.

Feeling overwhelmed, similar to the start of a new school year, can be approached in two ways. You can either choose to indulge in the negativity that comes with it, and rightfully so, or you can approach it positively and use it to remind yourself of your purpose in life. Without a doubt, it is difficult to do the latter as it took me a while to have a positive outlook on something so negative – once I overcame the negativity though, I never felt prouder to be overwhelmed, and I hope the same happens for you.