Joseph C.
Photography by Ashley Kung
If you’re reading this, stay strong.
If you’re reading this, stay strong. Life is rarely easy, but perseverance, faith, and self-discipline can help you to overcome many things and find joy. When you transform into an overcomer, you can also help others around you. One cannot see to help their neighbor, without first removing the board from their own eye.
There are a lot of stressors in life. Particularly, as a college student, there are many new responsibilities one must take on, all while only having lived a relatively short time. This means one’s life experience has likely not given them as many tools to work with to solve their problems as older adults. Additionally, it can be hard to be self-confident when one has not already faced and overcome many challenges yet.
When things feel overwhelming, there are three things to keep in mind to help. First, realize it is normal, given the circumstances. Second, there are tools you can use to help – like caring for your physical, mental, and spiritual health. This is not selfish. This is self-love, and that fosters the love of others. Lastly, do not let the stigma of therapy prevent its use – especially if you try to manage things on their own and still feel overwhelmed. Seeing a therapist is not a weakness. One must have the right tool for the given job at hand, and therapy provides you with additional tools to manage life well.
Construction Management (CM) students are going to need as many life-tools as possible. The construction industry can be stressful. It is a fast-paced, high stakes occupation. The burnout and suicide rates in this field are far higher than the national average. The physical injury rate is also higher than other professions. This should not dissuade you from joining this profession, but it should make you attentive.
The philosopher Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” What he meant was that people needed to know themselves so that they can live life to the fullest. CM students should learn how they react to stress, so they can recognize their own, individual signs of distress. If they see a problem arising, they can take preventative action. The old maxim that states that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure still holds true.
Being physically healthy helps people succeed. Eat a well-balanced diet. Exercise in a manner you enjoy, so you will be consistent with practicing it. See your doctor for an annual physical – and whenever your body tells you things are not right. Make sure to work for good health insurance. Invest in yourself.
Being spiritually healthy also helps people succeed. People are not robots, and they need to take care of their unseen parts as well as the seen. If you belong to a faith group, then attend regularly. If you are not, then at least practice meditative breathing, mindfulness, and gratitude. These things will uplift your spirit.
Being mentally healthy helps people succeed, too. Practice self-discipline – which can be especially challenging in college. Discipline breeds mental toughness, a trait all winners have. Winners only become winners after multiple failures, so you need to learn how to bounce back from hardship yourself. Organizing your life and actively managing your time will reduce the number of challenges you face, which will give you more strength to face the difficulties in life you cannot prevent. Again, if things begin to spin out of control, then seek mental health services. Let them train you to be a stronger, more capable version of yourself.
So, be resilient. Stay strong. Learn how you react to stress, and be proactive in taking measures to mitigate it – including taking care of all three aspects of your health. If things become overwhelming, visit a therapist and acquire some additional tools for your toolbox of life. Then go be supportive of others, and share the wisdom you have earned in your life’s journey, so that you leave the world a better place and find self-fulfillment along the way. You can achieve these goals. It only takes hard work and determination. Go build the future and find your joy!
Joseph C., University of Florida
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