As students with incredibly busy schedules, it is hard to make time to reflect. We usually think about how the current moment will reflect on our future, and whether we can achieve the results we hope for. This could lead us to dedicate our time to only doing the things that directly serve our academic, athletic, and professional progress. Thus, we tend to see reflection, meditation, and even counseling as “less important” matters. Yet, taking the time to reflect can help sustain our progress. One can indeed use reflection to feel appreciative about accomplishments and clear any residue of stress that might impede our ability to remain self-aware.
I was given a piece of advice from a wise friend about the important role reflection plays in maintaining a connection to one’s inner channels. Being constantly under stress can distract us from attending to our wellness as a result of constantly responding to the pressing need to do certain things in a certain manner and order (assignments, job interviews, etc.) As one constantly tries to cope with stress and keep up with the high standards that they set for themself, it becomes difficult to unplug from the stress and just take the time to prioritize being alone with our thoughts. Reflection helps with destressing by making one conscious of the ideas or feelings that reside deeper than the conscious level engaged with the occupations of daily life. These ideas and feelings (such as worry about the future) need to be looked into because they could account for a hovering stress or discomfort. We probably would not be stressed about our busy schedules and our lists of future professional and personal goals if we did not feel incapable of making them happen. Reflection maintains a state of mental clarity that can make us attentive to our goals as well as our wellbeing. Both matters constitute our sense of self.
In the Feb. 7 issue of The Spectator, the article “The Anxiety of Perfection” points out that the pressure to excel on a constant basis has come to impact the daily experience of college students. I agree with the author and, in my opinion, a potential solution to this anxiety is to look at ourselves beyond our ability or inability to do well. This could help teach us to see ourselves in an objective manner and to have an appreciation of our human value.
Talking to a counselor and being part of a counseling group are efficient tools to increase self-awareness. Sometimes talking about our worries and concerns with someone (who has enough knowledge to point us in the right direction) can help us understand them more clearly than we can on our own. The counseling center has a staff of therapists who specialize in various areas. Over the four years I have been at Hamilton, the center has been increasingly booked. This could be a sign that students are benefiting from the availability of free efficient therapy. Despite the substantial role therapy plays in understanding ourselves, some might see it as a sign of incapacity or weakness.
An additional reason for abstaining from reflection, meditation, etc. is an urge to feel that we are doing perfectly fine despite our busy schedules and that we do not need the “help” of a cathartic practice. I remember telling one of my classmates during the first month of my freshman year that I was having a hard time adjusting to the college environment (as most students probably were) and was considering talking to a counselor about it. My classmate advised me to depend on myself and not get stuck on the fact that I was having a hard time transitioning into the college routine. To me, the glory of overcoming the hardships “by myself” sounded appealing. However, I reasoned that talking to a specialist did not mean that I would not be actually putting effort into adjusting to my new environment.
Not addressing our struggles through cathartic means such as reflection, counseling, or meditation might keep us from seeing ourselves and our lives as they really are. As a generation, we have grown accustomed to the exposure of our lives to never-ending media. We are dazzled by edited photos of perfect vacations and closeups that show glamorous made-up complexion, giving us the impression that others are living their best lives. This induces a sense of urgency to seek the same thing. But perhaps we ought to remind ourselves that only an aspect of our lives is carefully selected to be shared on these platforms. As I see it, there is no need to repeat the fine selection process in our daily lives. Maybe if we reflect, we would realize that this behavior does not serve our wellbeing.
