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STRESS RELIEF 106: BREAKING THE SLUMP

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I think one of the most frustrating things about being a student is realizing that sometimes you are not even tired because of school itself. You are tired because of the constant postponing, the mental stress of unfinished things, and the guilt that follows you around because of them. You want to register for that seminar, but you keep saying “later.” You want to apply for something important, but somehow the days keep passing. You want to write that blog post, start reading for that test, continue that project, organize your notes, fix your routine, maybe even fix yourself a little… but your mind just keeps pushing everything forward. And the funny thing is, you are aware of it the entire time, and that’s the worst part. You are not relaxing properly because the unfinished tasks are sitting somewhere at the back of your mind. Even while scrolling through TikTok or sleeping or laughing with your friends, there is still this quiet anxiety whispering, “You should be doing something....
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STRESS RELIEF 105: CIRCLES THAT BUILD YOU

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CIRCLES THAT BUILD YOU  There’s something I’ve been noticing a lot lately… Life is a repetition of CIRCLES, and not everyone you call “friend” is actually in your circle. Some people are just sharing your timetable. Not your life. And at first, I thought maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe I was just being “too deep” for campus life. But then I realized something important: In uni, you don’t just meet people… You  rotate through circles.   And not all of them are building you. 1. Your First Circle: Family (Still in the Background) Before campus even starts, there’s already a circle behind you, family. They fund you, call you, worry about you… sometimes misunderstand you, too. But here’s what university teaches you very fast: Even your first circle needs boundaries. Because you start growing into someone they haven’t met yet. And if you’re not careful, you’ll keep shrinking yourself just to stay “familiar.” But uni is where you slowly learn: You can love your family deeply…...
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STRESS-RELIEF 104: YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR CGPA.

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In Criminology, we study something called Labeling Theory (shoutout to Howard Becker ). It’s the idea that once a 'label' is stuck on someone, they start to believe it’s their whole identity. If society calls someone a 'deviant,' they start acting like one. In university, we do the same thing with our CGPA . We let a 4.5, a 3.2, or a 2.1 become the label that defines our worth. If the number is high, we feel like kings. If it drops, we feel like 'academic failures.' But here is the unscripted truth: A CGPA is a data point, not a personhood. There were days I felt like an 'Incomplete' result. If the decimal point dropped, I felt like I dropped. I’d walk into the department feeling like everyone could see my GPA written on my forehead. I was labeling myself before anyone else could. I’ll never forget sitting in a Criminology lecture when Dr. A.F. Afatakpa dropped a truth bomb that changed how I look at my degree. He didn't just talk about theories; ...
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STRESS-RELIEF 103: THE “CRIME” OF NOT HAVING A PLAN B

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If you’re a student, you probably know this feeling. One moment you’re thinking,  “I’ve got this. Everything is under control.” And the next moment, everything suddenly feels like it’s falling apart. Assignments. Exams. Deadlines. Life decisions. Sometimes it all piles up at once. In criminology, we call it  Risk management;  in life, we call it  A Plan B. In simple terms, risk management means  preparing for problems before they happen. But here’s the thing:  a lot of people misunderstand what a Plan B really is. It’s not something you only think about after you fail. It’s something that helps  protect you before things even get that bad. One theory we study in criminology is  Routine Activity Theory ~ Lawrence Cohen &  Marcus Felson   (1979). It says that for a crime to happen, three things usually come together. 1. A motivated offender. 2. A suitable target. 3. Absence of a capable guardian. Now imagine applying that idea to stres...
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STRESS-RELIEF 102: THE CRIMINOLOGY OF A BURNOUT

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  I’m going to be honest, I’ve been feeling a little bit down lately. But as a Criminology student in my final year, I’ve started looking at my own stress through a different lens. In my classes, we study why people do what they do. We talk about distorted thinking, those moments when your brain starts telling you lies, like "you aren't good enough" or "you’ll never make it." In Criminology, we learn how thoughts shape behavior and, sometimes, how negative thinking can push people toward dangerous choices. But here’s what they don't always tell you in the textbooks: Stress is a thief. When we are pushed to the limit in university, our thinking gets distorted too. We start to feel like our whole identity is just a grade or a project. We feel "strained." There’s actually a famous theory in Criminology called Strain Theory. It basically  explains how pressure to succeed without adequate support can lead to deep frustration and stress. As a final year ...
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STRESS-RELIEF 101: FINDING CALM IN UNIVERSITY CHAOS

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  I’m in the final month of my final year in university, and I can confidently say, "stress is real".  It’s not just exams or final projects. It’s that heavy “what’s next?” feeling that follows you everywhere. The kind that sits quietly in your chest even when you’re trying to relax. Most days, it feels like my brain has 50 tabs open, and they’re all frozen. I didn’t discover crochet in some aesthetic, life-changing moment. I found it out of pure boredom. I had a bit of interest, some yarn, and a desperate need to stop thinking about my to-do list for five minutes. My first stitch? A total mess. My tenth stitch? Still a mess. And honestly, that annoyed me at first. I’m used to understanding things quickly. I’m used to getting results. But somewhere between the frustration of holding the hook correctly and untangling loops of yarn, I noticed something strange: I wasn’t thinking about school. For the first time in months, my brain wasn’t calculating my CGPA. It wasn’t re...
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