5 Reasons Why Rushing Yourself Is The Worst Thing To Do In College

Rushing yourself is one of the worst things you can do to yourself in college. I get it. You woke up late. The professor went through the PowerPoint too fast. You thought the exam was in two weeks, not in two days. Scrambling to complete tasks is a constant college struggle. Oftentimes, it is associated with a thing called procrastination. Now, we all procrastinate or did in our college careers. Procrastination is a deadly disease. It creeps up on you overnight. You sense its presence, but you shake it off. Deciding that it isn’t there. Oh, how wrong you are. Before you know it, you are racing against the clock, trying to type and submit an essay or stay up late studying for an exam. There may be times when you win and beat the clock. Maybe you always do, but at what cost? To better explain the price, here are five reasons why rushing yourself is the worst thing to do in college.

1) Stress

A common enemy that causes every student to rush themselves in college, whatever it may be, is better known as stress. When you are rushing to get something done, whether it’s an assignment or some studying in before a test, it is most likely due to stress of some sort. When you become stressed your body pays the price. According to Help Guide, stress is the body’s natural response to something that is threatening or demanding. Think of it as your “fight or flight,” response. It helps you decide whether to fight or flee from whatever danger is at hand. It helps us. Opposing that is chronic stress, which destroys us. When developing chronic, the body will begin to exist in a heightened state. According to the Help Guide, chronic stress obstructs almost every system in the human body. Going from causing digestive, weight, and memory problems to causing discomfort, depression, and anxiety.

College is meant to teach you about mental problems and reassure you. Why switch it up for yourself? Whenever you feel that you are getting overwhelmed or stressed about something, take a break. It won’t kill you Go for a drive, read a book, get a good cup of coffee. Take some time for yourself. The stack of papers to write and study for will still be there when you get back.

2) Lack Of Sleep

You were up late last night, finishing a formal essay that is due tomorrow in class. The next day, you wake and realize that you slept in. Now you are rushing to get to class on time.

Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to your health. According to Health Line, getting less than seven hours is considered sleep deprivation, and sleep deprivation has a list of its consequences as well. Some of these include having high blood pressure, low sex drive, and mood changes. Not to mention with all that shut-eye you are missing you are more likely to get into a car accident. As a recent college graduate, I understand the idea of getting the standard eight hours of sleep seems impossible. Sometimes it is. If that is the case, then you need to adjust your day-to-day schedule. My advice set a time for yourself that, no matter what you are working on or still need to finish, you will go to bed. I did and trust me when I say your whole perspective on life will change.

3) Loss Of Appetite

After you rushed to your 7 am class, you had to rush to your eleven o’clock lecture because your professor wanted to keep you after class for a couple of minutes. Once the lecture was over you went to study with some friends for an upcoming exam. Time got away from you and before you know it, it is the end of the day. You walk into your dorm room and flop onto your bed. It is only then that you realize you have had almost nothing to eat all day. Just a cup of coffee and a small fry

Now, when it comes to having a loss of appetite, stress is a key factor. According to Krissy Brady, writer of Shape, when we are stressed our body releases some hormones. One of the many hormones that are released is called corticotropin-releasing factor, or CRF. When CRF is released, it suppresses our appetite by messing with the digestive system and reducing our sense of hunger. Now, I don’t know about you but I LOVE food. Don’t give your body a reason to not want to eat. Besides, you wouldn’t want to miss out on Domino’s Happy Hour Special, would you?

4) Weak Immune System

It has been three days since your long and rushed day. Since then you find yourself slowly falling into a pattern of repeating that day, over and over. It’s Saturday morning. You wake up with body aches, a runny nose, and, for some odd reason, cannot stop coughing.

When your body does not get enough sleep your immune system defenses begin to weaken. When your body does not receive enough nutrients to sustain its immune system defenses, it too begins to decline. This causes you to become more vulnerable to viruses, like the common cold and the flu.

Now, how does getting sick help you complete those weekend assignments or help get you ready for a girls night out? It doesn’t. Give your body some time to rest and recover from the long days’ endeavor. You deserve some sleep. Just make sure to eat beforehand.

5) Unlikely To Complete Task To The Best Of Your Ability

It is Monday morning. You walk into class. Everything is going well so far. You are on time for class, you ate breakfast this morning, which you rarely did, and you even got seven hours of sleep the previous night. Better yet, you are not coughing up a storm or aching from head to toe. The professor walks in and everyone, including you, slide your assignment to the left side of the tables to be collected. After he collects the assignments, the professor calls each student by name to come and collect their graded formal essay. You get yours and you frown. You got a C+. It was the formal essay you stayed up late writing. The one you were rushing to finish. The one you lost sleep over.

Generally, when you are rushing to finish an assignment or a task you will not complete it at your best capability. Why? Because you are so focused on completing the assignment that you do not take the time to understand what it is you are saying. You are just simply writing an answer or typing an essay, just to get it done. Not to understand it. Take my advice and complete it to understand it. That is what you are paying for, in college.

Do you rush yourself? Is it becoming a routine for you? Have you experienced any similar scenarios in college? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.