By: Savannah Jones
If there’s one thing college has taught me, it’s that life does NOT slow down for anyone. I’m currently taking 18 credit hours, working part-time, and spending two nights a week in a television production program to chase my dream career. I would be untruthful if I say didn’t think about throwing in the towel often. The many days I’ve had where things did not go as planned. I just wanted to say “F- everything! I want to be lazy today and not think about the million things on my plate,” but I don’t let those thoughts dictate my next moves. I keep fighting the fight, I bounce back, I keep pushing, and that’s exactly how I learned what resilience really means.
What Resilience Is (and Isn’t)
For a long time, I thought resilience was about being strong all the time or keeping it together no matter what, but I was wrong. Resilience is not being happy all the time, stress-free, or endlessly energetic. It’s not an absence of bad feelings, and it’s definitely not something you learn once and forget.
Resilience is about showing up anyway. It’s being honest with yourself about how hard things feel, and still keeping moving forward. It’s about giving yourself grace when you mess up, forgiving yourself, and trying again. At its core, resilience is the ability to adapt and recover from challenges. It’s how we handle stress, setbacks, and pressure without completely losing ourselves.
The Building Blocks of Resilience
Over time, I’ve discovered a few key habits that help me handle stress, stay focused, and keep my mental health from taking the backseat. Hopefully you will also find these beneficial.
Focus on What You Can Control
College can throw a lot at you, it’s important to focus on what you can actually control. You can’t change every assignment, professor, or event, but you can control your effort, your routine, and your mindset.
Keep a Routine That Works for You
I would be nothing without my Google Calendar, I live by my Google Calendar. I make sure to check it multiple times a day. It keeps me grounded, organized, and helps me prioritize when everything feels overwhelming. Consistency means showing up for yourself daily.
Reframe Your Perspective
Truth be told, resilience is a mental obstacle, you need to change how you view the situation. A positive mindset isn’t ignoring challenges, it’s reframing them. If I fail a test or mess up a project, I ask myself: What can I learn from this? That shift changes stress into growth, fear into preparation.
Allow Yourself to Rest and Recharge
Rest is mandatory! There is no way you can be the best you if your brain isn’t fully on. Meditation, stretching, listening to music, or just sitting in silence can help recharge both your body and mind. Taking breaks doesn’t make you weak, it makes you resilient. So take that break!
Coping Strategies That Work
The first step is to navigating stress is determining what type of coping will help you. This part will take a bit of time. Different strategies work in different situations, and you’ll need to find your own mix.
Problem Focused Coping
This strategy is about tackling the source of stress directly. If you’re facing a massive project or an insanely busyschedule, breaking it down into smaller steps can help. Use a calendar, like I do with my Google Calendar, and plan out deadlines, projects, etc. Seeing a plan on paper helps you feel less overwhelmed and more in control.
Emotion focused coping
This strategy comes in handy when you can’t change the situation right away. Emotion focused coping is just as important as problem focus coping. Let yourself release your feelings instead of holding them in. Journaling, listening to music, exercising, or even counting to ten can give you the space to breathe. I’ve found that reading or taking a walk when I’m frustrated lets me process my emotions without letting them control me.
Appraisal focused coping
This strategy is for the moments when there’s no clear solution. Maybe you bombed an exam (it happens), missed a deadline (ouch), or had a rough day at work. Instead of panicking, examine what happened and how you responded. Acknowledge that setbacks happen to everyone, including me, and then decide how to move forward without getting stuck. Changing the way you think about the situation can stop stress from spiraling.
It’s also important to not forget the fundamentals of self care. Getting enough sleep, eating well, reducing caffeine, sugar, or alcohol when you’re feeling off balance, and seeking support from friends and family can make a huge difference. I know from experience that leaning on others does not make you weak, it makes you resilient!
Resilience Takes Time
Resilience isn’t a one and done skill. It’s built over time through habits like acceptance, consistency, reframing, and rest. It’s about adjusting, adapting, and bouncing back from stress, adversity, or even trauma.
College is a marathon, but resilience makes it possible to keep moving forward. Every challenge, every late night, and every small victory is a chance to practice resilience and remind yourself that you’re stronger than you think. You do not have to face stress alone. Creating routines, practicing coping strategies, and checking in with yourself every day can completely changed the way you handle college life.
If you ever need extra support, you can find help through the Health and Wellness Promotion Office at IU Indianapolis. This office offers wellness coaching to help students build habits, manage stress, and develop resilience. To learn more or schedule a coaching appointment, visit https://studentaffairs.iupui.edu/health/wellness-programs/coaching