Being a college student is arguably one of the most unpredictable roles to play, because as students, we are forced to balance multiple different aspects of life all at the same time. This struggle of constant business can easily cause us to get lost in the mix of everyday life, which then has the ability to cause the plans that we have for our lives to inevitably change.
Mary Carter, a sophomore studying strategic communications, tends to get stressed out about the strife of not having a set plan.
“I get super stressed when I don’t have a plan or don’t know what’s going to happen, which is so normal for college; yet, it kills me,” Carter said.
As students and human beings in general, we like to try and obtain control over as many situations in our lives as we possibly can, sometimes this just cannot be done. And while having a plan is definitely a smart thing to do, it is also important to know that things do not always go to plan, and that is OK.
In order to dismiss some of the stress in our everyday lives caused by worrying about things not going to plan, we must learn to live in the moment. While it is much easier said than done, letting go of the past, living in the present, and focusing on the future with an open mind to whatever may come is the best thing that we can do for ourselves in these types of situations.
When creating a plan for yourself and trying to figure out what it is you want to do in a specific situation or even an entire aspect of your life, try to look at it on a broader scale. Do not limit yourself or your plan to tiny details that may or may not happen; instead, jump into you plan with an open mind and an open heart and allow yourself to be accepting of whatever struggles, successes and lessons that may come your way.
Sometimes, it may be better to go into things without a solid plan at all. Think about it — if you go into a situation without any expectations for what may result, then what you are left with at the end of it all serves as a lesson to you, regardless of what happens. While it is definitely not easy to always allow yourself to get into something without having any plan at all, it may, in the end, allow you to open yourself up to new ideas and discover success and happiness that you never thought you could.
Of course, not all things should be started without having a plan. Sometimes, the plans that we take can be determined along the path of the journey, as well. Take college, for example. Not everyone enrolls in college knowing exactly what they want to do. In fact, some people change their major 4-5 times before they actually have an understanding of what career path they want to take. And the glory of all of that is that that is definitely OK. Finding yourself along the way may even be more beneficial and cause you to learn more about yourself as a person.
“To relieve that [stress from not having a plan], I like to think about the options that could happen, and think about the fact that it’s not the end of the world if I have to be flexible,” Carter said.
One of the most important things to leading a happy and stress-free life is to be flexible. Instead of worrying about what may or may not happen, take everything that comes at you with a grain of salt, and know that in the end, everything will work out exactly the way that it is supposed to.
Bri Shaniuk is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. How do you distinguish between what you can and cannot control? Let Bri know by emailing her at bs714714@ohio.edu.
