Dear You,

I bet you’ve been studying for your tests that are coming up. did i guess it right? 

Regardless of whether I did or not, I’m quite certain that test or no test, you would have a fairly clear reason as to why you’re studying. Yet, I’m also quite certain that you don’t inspect how you really feel when you’re studying. 

“Just Stress Lorh”

Is how I foresee you responding. And while I don’t deny that that’s how we feel most times about schoolwork, I think there’s much more to stress than just saying we’re stressed.

Believe it or not, that uncomfortable feeling you get whenever you think about exams is the exact same response your body produces whenever you encounter a dangerous situation. Although exams may not be an Avengers-level threat, those heart palpitations you feel along with your sweaty palms and shortness of breath are actually how you would react when you’re, say, running from a lion. 

Termed the fight-or-flight reflex, it’s also known as, well, a stress response. I’m not going to bore you with the scientific details and whatnot, but I want to point out that this raises the central idea that what you are feeling in reality is fear -  fear that you might forget what you studied, fear that you might not do well, fear that other people might view you in a certain way because of your studies… the list goes on.

I know that it may still sound weird and even unbelievable that something we all do as students can be compared to literally life-threatening scenarios. However, it is indeed true there is not much of a distinction between the two from a biological standpoint. We simply think of them separately due to the spectrum we view our emotions in and the different words we learn to convey how intensely we feel. As such, it is important to keep in mind that you might hence be constantly undermining how stressed you really are. 

The upshot here is this: that there really is a lot more going on than you think – both physically and mentally – when you brush off any feelings of worry you have concerning your academics.

“Really Meh?”

You may either be entirely unconvinced if you’re not the kind to get hung up on your studies or didn’t even need the convincing because you’ve genuinely been fretting over some aspect of your studies. If you’ve read the previous letter titled, ‘Studying with God’, you may also be questioning whether it is wrong that you’re dreading your life as a student since it’s tied into God’s plan for your life now. 

I’m here to say, firstly, that no matter what boat you’re currently in (yes, even those who might not really care about studying/don’t get scared!), I’m sure that you’ve felt some level of concern over your studies before and that this is completely normal. ((That’s right admitting you might have been uneasy before a National Exam or about streaming won’t make you uncool.)) Secondly, in a similar vein, God actually made us this way. 

“But Why”

Is something you may consequently be wondering. Being afraid of something doesn’t seem that great. Yet, beyond the obviously adaptive function it serves of allowing us to react quickly in response to a dangerous situation, fear does do a few things.

Without fear (and other so-called ‘negative’ emotions), we honestly wouldn’t be capable of comprehending how nice so-called ‘positive’ emotions are. More importantly, the absence of fear would make us fear-less, which by extension means we won’t fear – much less be awed by – the presence of God. 

It is in fact written throughout Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is something we are to aspire towards when we are wondering how we should live our lives as Christians. Though what this should look like is a topic in itself for another day, it is undeniably written in Proverbs 1:7 that, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ Consequently, without this ability to fear, we would also grossly lack the ability to comprehend wisdom. 

It is in fearing that we begin to feel like we cannot take on the world; which can be a crippling thought but also a truth. Yet, it is in this constant recognition that we can begin to seek God’s wisdom and realise His sovereignty over the world and all who live in it.

How?

So, as much as experiencing fear may be annoying, particularly in the context of our studies, it is in slowly learning how to deal with it instead of wishing we were incapable of feeling it that makes all the difference. And while it is definitely not wrong for you to feel worried over your academics, you shouldn’t just stop at this understanding.

Maybe these pointers below can help you inspect why you feel the way you do about your studies! 

1. Remind yourself that you’re (also) studying for God

Tbh, this should be your main motivation for studying. I won’t rehash whatever was written in the previous letters, but know that when you study, you essentially do so to make good use of the time and position in life that God has blessed you with.  

2. Ask yourself again what your motivations for studying are

Even though it’s not wrong (and is even good) that you may have goals you want to strive towards, it may well be that you’re stressing out due to the expectations you have for yourself and/or that others place on you. Questions of where you place your worth in or how you think others might view you definitely apply here too. You should also ask yourself whether you fall prey to deriving these from your studies.

3. Find your stressors (something or someone that causes you to feel stressed) 

The previous point naturally leads into this, so if you find that your ‘motivations’ are consuming your life, it’s good to take a step back and recognise that those motivations are not healthy and slowly walk away from them.

That being said, I also know that for some of you it might be even more difficult to step away as your source of stress isn’t self-derived but coming from other people. I wholly empathise with you and can only imagine how much you are struggling. While it is my hope that you will be able to have an open discussion about how you’re really feeling with the people around you who are stressing you out, I also encourage you to choose to surround yourself with people who are actually supportive and will motivate you healthily. 

4. Cast all your anxieties on God

At the end of the day, it is about what you choose to do with the emotions you feel. Far too often, we choose to search for ‘practical’ ways to deal with our problems and we shove God to a last resort, if at all. In such a case, we end up carrying our burdens around thinking that we can simply deal with the problems ourselves. 

Yet, I strongly encourage you all to just try coming before God and unloading whatever difficulties you may have on Him. You might come to find the indescribable peace of simply being in His presence and surrendering everything to Him.

To end off, Philippians 4:4-7 reads, ‘4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’

I hope you find encouragement from these verses and take comfort in the fact that we have a God who listens and who is in control of all things – you only need to seek Him and take heart that your concerns do not go unheard.

Not only that but God will give you His peace, which transcends all understanding. The peace will guard your hearts and your minds; that you will not be troubled but rest and have the confidence in Him. 

With Love: Noah