“It’s almost break,” and “You’re almost done” are things I am sure you may have heard from family, friends, and other students when talking about the struggles of this semester, I know I have. I didn’t realize how close we were to the end of the semester until the frightful preparation for finals that came up in several of my classes this past week. This is a very stressful time for most students and I want this passion blog to be a reminder that your academic and professional accomplishments do not determine your self-worth. If you haven’t had the best semester and in turn feel as though you aren’t good enough as an individual, you need to understand and embrace everything you have to offer as you as a person are so unique in your offerings, thoughts, and abilities. As we near the end of the semester, it is important to give yourself grace and cultivate a healthy sense of self-love. The truth is everyone’s journey looks different and we need to differentiate our worth from our work and accomplishments.
Self-worth as college students
It is hard to not be consumed by college life, building your resume for your future after college, joining clubs and activities on campus, getting good grades, and just being a student in general. It can get to a certain point in school where your entire identity is determined by how well you are doing as a college student. I know that for me, all my major accomplishments were tied to being a student and therefore where I put my self-worth and value as a person. This can lead to an unfulfilling, miserable cycle, and in turn, you lose your sense of self. Your self-worth should not be determined by how well or how active you are in school but by who you are as a person. So, what is self worth? Self-worth is described as the internal sense of being good enough and worthy of love and belonging from others. As it is important to have a solid understanding of our strengths and areas for progress, we also need to feel good enough even when we make mistakes or things do not work out in our lives as we had hoped. Think about how you would describe your self worth right now and what value did you place yourself or aspects of yourself. Too often, the measure of our self-worth is the amount of our outward accomplishments. For many students in particular, their self-worth is tied to their academic accomplishments and their grades. Getting a bad grade on an exam, or not receiving an offer for that one desired internship, does not mean you’re a failure and does not determine you who are as an individual.
Recognizing your importance
This has to do with some self awareness and introspection. It is very important that you recognize who you really are from deep within. Now, I want you to know that the only person that can sufficiently answer the question about who you are, is you. Every other person is limited to the knowledge of who you really are. In the process of understanding more about yourself, you would become more aware of your strengths, talents, potentials, and all the unique aspects of yourself. In discovering these things, your self confidence grows and you begin to recognize how powerful you are, how intelligent you are, and how much bigger you are than your accomplishments as a student, your grades or your productivity. After recognizing your inherent worth as a human being, you have to place it on something higher and greater than what you accomplish. Your worth runs so much deeper than anything you can prove through achievement. You are worthy simply because you exist, and nothing more.
How to build self worth
The main way to build self worth is to practice unconditional self love. Practice offering unconditional self love to your self by forgiving yourself when you are not perfect, and recognizing that you deserve love no matter what you achieve. Letting go of perfectionism and the need to base external validation can be a continual process. Having a healthy sense of self-love means having a positive and realistic view of yourself, which allows for a greater sense of self-confidence. This includes recognizing your unique qualities and abilities while acknowledging areas for growth and improvement. It also involves prioritizing self-care while being able to ask for help and support when needed. We as students face a lot of challenges that can heavily impact our self-worth, including academic pressures, social comparisons, and the anxiety of navigating foreign environments and relationships. Prioritizing yourself, your needs, and engaging in self-care that promotes mental and emotional well-being is crucial. It is important to also challenge perfectionism and embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth.
I know this blog post is kinda cheesy and a bit rushed, but I truly hope you all recognize how much you matter as individuals. Don’t let external factors determine your self worth or value. I hope you all continue to thrive and get through the rest of the semester knowing that you have inherent worth and that you are way more than what you achieve as college students.
Sources
https://www.headspace.com/mindfulness/self-love
Unconditional Self-Acceptance: Love Yourself for Who You Are [+Exercises]
Great TED Talk on this topic
I think in today’s world self worth can be so easy to put off because in the academic world grades have a chokehold on many students. Like you said many students feel down on themselves after a bad grade, but it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. I know I fall into the trap of being too hard on myself with my grades and it can have a toll on my health. I will have to try some of these topics to practice self worth because I know it will make me a better person.
I think your perspective on not letting the school sector of college dominate a student’s identity is important and something all college students should remember. I also liked how you mentioned that it creates extra stress and that you never need to earn acts of self-worth that you are obligated to them. That idea itself is so important to remember, and your blog is something easily accessible to college students who feel that they are burdened by the stresses of college life before finals especially.