Push to succeed, but take care of yourself also!
By Steve Ryan, Professor, General Education
Keep on truckin’!
Stick with it!
Tough it out!
Push through the pain!
No pain, no gain
Have faith!
Do any of these sound familiar? Has anyone told you these before? Your loved ones care about you and want you to succeed in your college and professional lives. But how about these expressions?
Take a break!
Take time to care for yourself!
Remember to breathe!
Remember to enjoy life!
As you progress through your classes, studies, and assignments here, and classes and homework get harder, it is important to take care of yourself at the same time.
Be sure to eat right. Make good choices. McDonald’s is on the left side of the street; Waba Grill (with vegetables and chicken) is on the opposite side of the street. Which one are you going to choose?
Manage time. It’s 1 a.m. Are you going to get rest, or are you going to keep doing homework and studying? Give your brain a rest. Break up your assigned activities throughout the week. Create a schedule for yourself to complete certain activities each day.
Keep the goals in mind. Yes, you want to succeed. We want you to succeed. But not at the cost of your health, mentally and physically. With that said, how is your mental health right now? Do you feel strong? Or Weak? What are you doing to strengthen your mental health? How about physically? Do you feel strong? Or Weak?
Realize that things are going to get harder in some cases. As students and even as nurses in the future, we have to realize there are going to be difficult moments that sometimes last a few minutes and sometimes last longer. By accepting this, it makes it easier to deal with when it happens versus being a surprising, stressful moment.
Galatians 6:9 says: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Remember: You need to take care of yourself so you can then take of others.
Keep on truckin’! But take care of yourself!