Currently, it is the month of February and I hope everyone is settling into the hustle and bustle of the semester.
As a Sinclair student and part time worker of two jobs, which are only two of the roles I participate in, I know all too well what it is like to struggle, to feel hopeless and to want to give up.
I know of the overwhelming pressure society puts on women to look great while using all ten of their arms to multitask as a caregiver or mother.
I know the pressure family and school put on students physically and emotionally to know what they want out of life, to do well in school and pursue the right degree for the highest paying job.
I can relate to those who feel rushed to make huge life decisions like moving out, buying a house, getting married or starting a family.
I can identify with misunderstood and struggling artists trying to market themselves and educate themselves in their field at the same time.
We all have roles or titles that we assume responsibility for and each requires a different level of our undivided attention. Roles or titles that we may occupy include: the role of a mother, employee, brother, friend, mentor, student, artist and more.
Sometimes all of our roles and responsibilities collide at all ends until we feel like we are barely keeping our heads above water, as we begin suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, other mental illnesses and physical pains.
We can get so far beside ourselves by staying busy and stressing that we lose sight of our main focus, our goals and our dreams.
It builds until we eventually get to the point where we think things are falling apart beyond repair because something did not work out as planned or a setback that spirals in unthinkable ways has a domino effect into other areas of our life.
I am here to tell you from experience that we have to take it day by day, one baby step at a time.
Take a deep breath and remember that if it was your time to give up, you wouldn’t have woken up from your sleep this morning or made it safely from your travels.
The roles we find ourselves in are what we have been given. Whether your religious, believe in coincidence, fate or manifested destiny, the cards we have been dealt are ones we can handle, shuffle and deal.
Even if you feel stuck or like everything you do only fails, you keep trying until you accomplish whatever your goal is because there were so many people before you that didn’t give up, so you could be in the place in you are in today.
Whenever you feel overwhelmed, find time to reevaluate your plan. Take a deep breath and enjoy all of the small things you encounter on this journey.
Never fail to see the positive in your situation because happiness is a state of mind that you control. You want something different, you want a different outcome, then change the way you think.
Angel Hopson
Reporter