Overwhelming – fits most college students.
I feel so stressed and overwhelmed by all this work left unfinished. So much not started, so little time.
All this work is drowning me. Help. Help. Save me from this sea of homework and assignments. I’m crying out for help.
Will you save me? Am I worth it? Or too far gone? I am drowning in my own writing. Words suffocate me.
Hold me down. Keep me from breathing freely. Every breath feels forced. Like the work is taking the life right out of me. Reaching. Reaching. My hands are waving all around. The papers are swallowing me. Covering up my hands.
I’m invisible from miles away. Can you hear my cries? Can you hear my screams?
I raise my head. Wipe the drool off my chin. I slowly take in my surroundings, catching my breath. I’m at my desk, my own apartment. Papers scattered all around me.
My laptop’s battery life dying. It was all just a scary dream. But it felt so real. I will survive this survive.
Whish. Whish. Two paper balls hit the bottom of the trashcan. What are words? They won’t come. This paper won’t write itself.
This work is stressing me out. I need to listen to music. Anything to make me feel better. Ease the constant stress, I feel when I look at the piles of paper.
All I want is sleep. But if I sleep, I might drown. If I doze off, will lose time to complete all this writing. Not enough time. Not enough time.
Only a couple weeks or days. It may come down to hours eventually if I keep staring at it. Pick up the pen!
Write something, anything! Answer the thesis, question, or free write. Do something. Staring is getting me nothing. Just more stress.
I’ve got this! Pen to paper. A flick of the wrist. Easy movement. I can do this!
One sentence at a time. Keep it simple. Make it flow. If you understand it, keep going.
Don’t stop now. Just a flick of the wrist. I made it. I knew I could. One assignment down, 50 billion to go. I’ve got this. Keep going.
Every college student ever: my hand hurts. Got to keep writing. Write through the pain.
An actual photo of my desk at the end of the Spring 2017 semester.