The perks of being stressed out

I am so stressed.
I am a broke college student trying to fit into a new world here in Macon while trying to maintain good grades in a Biomedical Engineering major, and on top of that I have to worry about becoming a valuable candidate for graduate school.
I am more stressed then my Grandma Johnson’s fat, juicy chicken who cannot lay eggs. Go ahead, ask me: “How many stomach ulcers do you create?” Well, interestingly enough I would answer, “None!” Believe you me; stress is an important aspect for a better life.
The cost of gas, healthcare, tuition and books, a jar of Nutella blah, blah, blah.
Whatever your situation, money being the root to most, stress is virtually universal. I know this because I am a freshman in college and already a couple thousand dollars in debt due to loans.
Three weeks ago, adjusting to the broke college student customs, like only having two cents in my bank account because I withdrew the last dollar to buy a cheeseburger at McDonalds, was not only embarrassing when speaking to the bank teller, but also very hard and stressful.
Because of this stress, I have learned necessary life lessons. I now know how to apply that once-thought unnecessary “Opportunity Cost” lesson from my Economics class into the real world.
Stress due to money makes people understand the necessities and sacrifices as well as money conservation.
In this sense, stress can definitely become like that old obnoxious person who badgers you all the time that you will one day reflect upon and thank.
I do not know about you Liberal Arts majors, but engineering is not a piece of cake. Juggling calculus, chemistry and programming in one semester creates a plethora of stress!
This stress is good for us, however, because it shows that we care about our education and makes us strive to do our best. And come on, who out there does not like to brag about how much work they have to do or how much work they already did?
I hear all the time, “Girl! You will not believe I spent FOUR hours on that webassign homework last night!” Everyone knows that transformation of stress to relief that occurs from accomplishing a hard homework problem or difficult lab report inquiry.
This stress makes finishing our school work a pleasure, and in turn makes us work more diligently and ambitiously.  In this view, I believe stress due to the pressure of gaining a good education becomes our catalyst to learning.
Being a broke college student with a voluminous load of school work is a great start to a great life.
With every expense and every book, stress grabs a hold of us. It guides us to make better consumer choices and to perform more studiously. With this said, I believe stress is a good and healthy aspect for our character, not a demeaning emotion that causes stomach ulcers. Believe you me; stress is great!


Comments on this opinion
can be sent to
curtis.brandon.intravia@live.mercer.edu