TIME FLIES BY...AND THAT IS OKAY

Published: 23rd May on The Courier Online

• Processing the year and reflecting on the end to a busy semester.

Image credit: Pixabay

This university year has flown by, and the forthcoming summer months are calling our names. Away from the library, away from campus, the end of another semester means the end to the busiest and most stressful period of university life.

As we get older, and the uni years go by, realising and processing the past and everything that has happened, can be overwhelming. The feeling like you haven’t made the most of the time you have had or things you have done, gives little satisfaction or feelings of happiness.

Sitting in a lecture and going through week 11 content, feeling the hole in your stomach grow and staring at a laptop screen for the last month straight, knowing there is not enough time in the world to do deadlines or revise, is something every student feels.

Time flies and that is okay. Often wondering where the hours have gone is normal, whether you have spent the day scrolling through tiktok in bed or you have been out working or hanging out with friends. Time can be either your best friends or your worst enemy and the latter tends to be the case around the end of year period.

"Time can be either your best friends or your worst enemy..."

During university, we forget the short number of months we are actually on campus, learning. We have short terms, longer holidays and for the most part, we cram in degree content like we are downing pints at The Hancock.

Collecting memories and reflecting is a good way of dealing with the inevitable passing of time. Taking photos, keeping digital or physical memorabilia helps with reflecting on the good things that have happened. Take photos of friends, or a place you visited, even a selfie of you looking miserable in a lecture will be funny to look back on later on.

Reflect on achievements and the things you managed to handle is a good coping mechanism. Realising that fact you managed to write an essay in a day, you got through the exam period and got a good mark back on an exam, or even managing to attend a seminar with a raging hangover are all things to recognise.

Identifying the moments you may have taken for granted and sometimes thinking back, you don’t realise how good of a day you had, or how happy you were in that place or at the time. Sitting on those moments and living presently, can make the bad times seem not so rough.

"Identifying the moments you may have taken for granted and sometimes thinking back, you don’t realise how good of a day you had, or how happy you were in that place or at the time."

Practicing mindfulness for when time is going to fast or stressful is helpful. The occasional deep breath, turning the music off to hear the silence and people watching outside a window for 5 minutes, can help you notice the world passing by at a slower pace than you think.

No matter where you are or where you might be in a couple months, Maybe you will think back to this time and remember when you read this article, time will pass by and taking the time to reflect may help with coping with the growing up and moving on.