There is a term used in the athletic community called the “pain cave”. I truly enter the pain cave at least twice a week during our workouts. There are too ways to cope with the pain cave – you can let it swallow you and give up, or you can embrace it and use it to push beyond your preconceived limitations. Some enter the pain cave and exit a new person. They may be shaken for a bit, but are ultimately a stronger, more powerful individual. It hardens one’s character.

This is similar to stress. I have three midterms this week. Two tomorrow (Thursday) and one on Friday. I am currently in the pain cave of academia. I am stressed out. However, I try not to focus on the negatives of the stress, but rather let it push me through the week. When I am in the pain cave in the gym, I think about the outcome and I am pushed to continue fighting. I have applied this to my academic pursuits. For when the week is over, it is fall break, and I will be through my first midterms of the week, stronger and more wise because of it.

Stress is part of college. Stress will continue throughout life. College stress allows us to learn how to cope with it before the real world swallows us all. I, like most normal people, dislike doing the majority of my schoolwork, but I understand its importance and I try to think of the positive outcomes of my studies. To my classmates – keep calm and carry on.

-Murph