A somber atmosphere has infiltrated our campus – it’s palpable. Some cite the election as the culpable actor for this mood; others blame the stress of the final weeks. Scientists will say that since you didn’t do a controlled experiment, you can’t solely attribute the cause of stress to these factors, as a million other confounding variables could be at play. Whatever the truth actually is, my recent observations are nevertheless disconcerting.
I have asked people on campus how their day is and they hesitate. They know the customary answer is, “Good. How about you?” But their face contorting and chest expanding in preparation for a long, deep sigh says otherwise. Their lips curl, not mischievously, but to tacitly convey their genuine feelings dispute the pleasantries. Earlier this month, I was in the elevator in Dugan and the person in there with me had to question if I went to Canisius because I was “so smiley” and “the people here aren’t happy.” That’s a problem. Of course, I don’t believe that the boy in the elevator’s statement is true; our campus is populated by cheerful and bubbly people whose mere presence brightens my day. Yet, it is despairing to learn that even one person harbors that sentiment enough to vocalize it to a stranger.
On macroscopic and microscopic levels this semester, there is not a want of reasons to be melancholic. Maybe you feel uneasy because $15 million has to be cut from our institution’s budget, and you are worried your education will suffer because of it. Maybe you just read that Representative Matt Gaetz – a man under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct with a minor – is going to become the top law enforcement official in the United States under Trump. Maybe you are agitated just because it is already pitch black outside while you eat your D-Hall chicken tenders. Maybe you have a 10-page paper due on Shakespeare at 10 p.m., and a discussion post on the Genpei War due at 11:59 p.m. Or maybe you still can’t get over the possible subversion of justice with an accused pedophile slated to head the U.S. Department of Justice with a convicted felon as his supervisor. All of those feelings are valid.
Though I am not spiritual, I cling to the Jesuit values of our universality in somber moments like these. Cura personalis and being a person for and with others are particularly resonant right now. I encourage you to combine those two values and do at least one thing yourself and one thing for others each day. Get that sweet treat. Smile at people in elevators so they don’t get the perception that everyone at Canisius is miserable. Indulge in your favorite show. Check in with your friends, family or even the person you’ve sat next to in class since August in your unassigned assigned seat who you’ve never uttered a word to. Go on a “hot girl walk” with your roommates. Help your Editor-in-Chief, whose arm is in a sling, get her coat on. The possibilities are endless.
The Griffin also suggests coping with any adversity you may be facing by participating in the Counseling Center’s “Griffins Unplug” campaign. On top of papers, exams and Matt Gaetz, watching someone’s Instagram highlight reel is only a guaranteed way of exacerbating stress, anxiety and depression. Our phones are perpetual bearers of bad news in our pockets. The Counseling Center – with The Griffin’s endorsement – encourages you to take a few hours out of each day – or take the whole day – without using your phone. Maddy Lockwood, who recently unplugged for Kairos, states “It is hard to separate myself from my responsibilities which inherently are tied to my phone and then I love it. I sit there and think about how horrific it is that we have these tethers that hold us to responsibility at all times and about how I need to detox myself from my phone.”
Going “unplugged,” or taking time for yourself and others is not a cop-out. It is not a way to disregard the problems in your life or society; it is a valiant acknowledgement that you cannot care nor advocate for others at small or large-scale levels without self-rejuvenation. Negativity, bad news, papers, exams and stress will persist. Unfortunately, D2L will always be there. But your energy is finite. Enter the home stretch with a hard work ethic towards your assignments, but also an understanding that you are more than the red ink letter with a circle around it.
Think of self-help as an additional three credit course you’re taking: What would your grade look like right now? How can you improve it? What resources do you need to achieve that improvement? Then go do it – you’ve got this.
– CL
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