Do You Believe in Ghosts

Happy Halloween - or should I say halloweekend for those who celebrate (I'm looking at you seniors). It's that time of year when things are supposed to get spooky. I'm talking ghosts, vampires, horror films- you get the gist. It's also the time of year when things get a little spooky academically or even personally. I swear something about the fall air makes graduate programs want to ghost applicants (do you like the play on words), professors to assign midterms, and our favorite sports teams to win games by the skin of their teeth. It's like the leaves changing colors is a signal to let the stress begin. At this point, I'm surprised my cortisol doesn't increase at the first red leaf. Either way, life can turn slightly strenuous, especially for students.  It's also that time of year when belief plays an integral role in how life treats us. 

Can I ask you something personal? Do you believe in ghosts? Skinwalkers? Sasquatches? Yourself?

Your answers may be cut and dry, but the latter tends to trip people. It isn't easy to believe in yourself and trust that things will work out how they should. No matter how hard you study for a test or put yourself out there, sometimes that kernel of self-doubt can linger. So, how do we get rid of it? 

Prepare yourself as well as you can, to the extent of your sanity. I personally believe that once 2am hits the night before a test, that sleep is much better for you than continuing to cram information. So rest and start fresh tomorrow, knowing that you've done your best to prepare. No amount of preparation can account for the curveballs life throws. Believing that you have the capabilities to adapt is the first step. Handling challenges calmly and methodically instead of allowing yourself to be worked up is the second.

Next, try your best, always. That includes putting an answer down for every question, applying to reach schools, and using your time to improve rather than dreading the next obstacle in your path. If life has its way, you can find peace in the fact that you gave it your all. Speaking from personal experience, going home after a 7-9 pm biochemistry exam and watching a movie with ice cream does wonders for relaxing. 

Trust that everything will be ok. (It is way easier said than done). However, I can assure you that a B on a test is not the end of the world, and neither is bombing an interview or failing in the most epic way possible because these failures should not be a reflection of your belief in yourself. Instead, they should allow us to grow and learn from our mistakes. Mistakes are not the enemy that the world makes them out to be. Rather, they are valuable tools we can utilize as we are shaped into the individuals we aspire to be. So, during this spooky season I implore you to strive to believe in yourself, and when the stress ultimately seeps in, "don't even fret". No matter what you believe in, make sure it includes you. 

As a final note, even when you may struggle yourself, remember the power of helping others to believe in themselves. The most amazing thing about kids is that they haven't learned what failure is yet. Volunteering with Uplift and interacting with the kids at GEMS has shown me what it is to live fearlessly and to believe in myself. So let's continue to stoke their fires and to help them believe that anything is possible. Let us see our neighbors struggling and give them a helping hand so that they too can feel confident in themselves. In doing so, we strengthen our own belief in ourselves and our ability to make a positive impact. 

Anyways, do you believe in ghosts?

Eva Shearer

Uplift Co-President