Your GPA is Important... But Don't Forget About Your Mental Health
- Ashley Britton
- Oct 11, 2020
- 3 min read
I’ve always struggled with putting myself first. This applies to anything: family, friendships, internships, and so on. I’ve always had the tendency to prioritize what others need or expect from me that I forget about what I need for myself along the way.
One area this definitely pertains to is in school. I can easily say that I’m guilty of being a perfectionist when it comes to achieving the goals I’ve set for myself, such as maintaining a strong GPA and getting good grades. When I don’t feel satisfied with my performance, I then beat myself up inside and force myself to push harder, to work harder, and to be better. This is because the last thing I’d want to do is let someone down, such as my professors or other students in my group projects. Because of this, I always try to contribute as much as I can and stay on top of my assignments.
However, I’ve recently learned not only how toxic and dangerous these behaviors are for my mental health, but also that at the end of the day…
I simply matter more.
When I say this, I don’t mean that you should stop setting academic goals for yourself and working hard toward achieving them, because education is still important (as well as a privilege). But choosing to only focus on these habits without leaving any room for you to take care of yourself will only hurt yourself more in the end.
It’s natural for things to randomly pop up into your life that will prevent you to focus in class or produce your best work. Some days you might wake up feeling physically and emotionally drained with little to no motivation to be productive, because you might currently have a lot on your mind. Don't ever beat yourself up for feeling this way or think differently about yourself if you do because we’re human; we need time to recharge and recenter ourselves. Our GPAs can wait.
One thing I’ve also learned is to reflect on how many things you might have on your plate.
Since freshman year, I’ve always tried to become more involved on campus to gain more experience in areas I’m interested in, and to show job recruiters my involvement and drive for pursuing these areas.
But even though I might’ve felt like I was accomplishing a lot, I can’t neglect how I often felt trying to classes, clubs, and anything else on my plate: stressed, tired, and not okay. I can’t neglect the competitions I created and put on myself for aiming to be the perfect, involved student that would make me feel worse emotionally if I wasn’t living up to my own set standards. I can’t neglect the effects these had on my life, which consisted of many sleepless nights, panic attacks, overthinking, and putting myself down even more.
If you need a break, figure out what it is that will help you feel better.
An example of this is talking to or spending time with family and friends. When I recently learned about my grandmother passing away, I knew that being with my family was what would get me through this difficult time. Even though the perfectionist in me kept popping into my head to make me feel guilty for missing classes and work right before midterms, I just knew that being with people I love was what was best for me. I knew that trying to continue working on projects and attending class would be difficult to accomplish while I was grieving the loss of an important family member, and thus would worsen my GPA. But by taking this mental break for a few days, I was able to allow myself to heal in order for me to come back to school in a better emotional state.
There’s nothing wrong with asking your professors for a mental break, because believe it or not, they’ll be more understanding than you’d expect. They also want you to succeed and do your best, and even being transparent with them about where you are emotionally will ultimately help you achieve that in the long run.
If you want to learn about more tips on prioritizing mental health in college, check out these blog posts:
Do you have any suggestions or techniques on prioritizing yourself mentally? Share them in the comments!
Comments