College is hard. For some of us, it’s the first time we’re away from home and juggling school and duties like cooking, cleaning, going to the doctor and more. There’s no parent or guardian telling you that you’re going out too much, not sleeping enough or taking you to the doctor.
Books often come before yourself.
There’s those times of year when lecture halls are filled with a chorus of coughs and a symphony of sneezes. Are school days more important than sick days?
That’s what these lecture halls seem to show. This high-pressure society seems to tell us success is more important than health.
You can hear it in the way college students talk.
Who is running on the most caffeine? Who missed fewer classes? Who pulled the most all-nighters? Who spent the longest in the library?
These are questions you can hear in the mumbles of students waiting for class to start or chatting in the library.
And it shows in the way colleges rank things, although UF also makes strides to take care of students with de-stress events and a plethora of physical and mental health resources. But still, at any college, the focus is academia and not always the person behind an achievement. Colleges reward those with the most accolades or the highest GPAs, not the student who finds the balance between academics and practicing good care techniques.
Take me, for instance. Despite having a chronic medical condition, I put school over myself a lot.
Back in high school, I would go to school sick and exhausted until it all caught up to me, and I was hospitalized four times in one year for weeks at a time.
The same is true in college where I fear missing an important lecture or not having time to do an assignment because I’m sick. Then my health faltered again. I missed a month of classes and now have a new diagnosis.
Syllabi don’t make it any easier to give yourself a break. Some professors include attendance in your grades. In one of my classes, you could lose 20 points per absence. For me, it was almost like a scare tactic. Miss a class and lose part of your grade, or miss an important doctor’s appointment and lose part of your health. I felt constantly at odds between classes and appointments.
This is on top of the general work stress college students already face. There’s assignments to keep up with, resumes to build and futures to plan.
Between demanding classes and college activities, taking time for yourself is important.
Let’s change the way we talk about work. Encourage friends to take a study break or schedule time to take yourself on an adventure beyond a walk to Marston Science Library or Library West.
When you’re sick, go to the doctor. Make time for sleep and relaxation. College is all about learning how to take care of yourself. Don’t sacrifice yourself, your mental and physical health or time to have fun for one class.
Going to class is important. But it shouldn’t be at the cost of your health. Sometimes, it’s something you can never get back.
Visit the UF Student Health Care Center, the Counseling & Wellness Center or UF’s gyms. Take a walk in the beautiful nature of campus. Feed yourself at a dining hall, POD market or chain across campus.
College is costly. But, imagine the cost of the damage to your health.
Sophie Feinberg is a UF journalism junior. Her column comes out Tuesday and Thursday.
