~ Gabi Drobot

No sleep. Lousy diets. Stress and continuous overwhelm. Feelings of failure. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? Yet, that’s precisely what many of our college students experience every day.

In our idealized vision of college life, we see the independence and fun of college life–the partying, the fun, the self-absorption that comes with the freedom of life away from home and its obligations. Yet, at least half of all college students report feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and unable to keep up. 

As Gabi Drobot reports, this lack of self-care is epidemic, and sometimes even glamorized, by the young people experiencing its effects. 

A college sophomore and staff writer for the paper at her university, Gabi developed an interest in spotlighting mental health for students after experiencing her own challenges and recognizing the lack of helpful, open conversation around the subject. Gabi has become an advocate for encouraging students not to see ignoring self-care as a badge of honor, but rather to recognize the perils to both present and future when students fail to take physical and mental care of themselves.

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we know how challenging it can be to carve out time to minister to oneself. Life’s obligations often mean we are last on our own lists. Yet the effects of ignoring our physical and mental health can quickly damage our personal and professional lives, causing cracks in the very foundations we are trying desperately to keep strong.

Remember to take time for self-care–especially by getting enough sleep!--and watch for signs that the young people in your life are struggling. Together we can help prioritize our mental and physical health, allowing us all to live Brilliantly Resilient lives!

Read Gabi’s article on Deglamorizing the Lack of Self-Care in College Students and be sure to listen for these additional bits of Brilliance on this week’s edition of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast!

• Fifty percent of college students report daytime sleepiness and 70% report not getting enough sleep.

• I felt like I couldn't share my feelings because it wasn’t a “normal” conversation. If we make it an open conversation, how many people could this help?

• I chunked off my day. Morning is class, afternoon is work and at night I can do what I want. It helped me put aside my FOMO.

• Surrounding yourself with people with common goals and spending time by yourself is so important.

Let’s be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Kristin & Mary Fran