Dear University,

You can't kill me. So please, stop trying.

Abi what is it sef?

Before we begin this letter, I have to properly apologize 😔. I went MIA, AWOL, and everything else that can possibly describe it. I've recently taken on a lot of work and this letter is as much for me as it is for you.

I hope you enjoy✨

If you’re a student like me, you’ve probably come to the point where it seems like your school is the “weapon fashioned against you” that was mentioned in Isaiah 54 (cue the tears😭). Ultimately, we know the weapon won’t prosper but let’s be real. Sometimes, those weapons seem very well-fashioned. Is it the day you bought spoilt food from a cafeteria, or probably the day you realized that you were very very broke, or the day your classmates played music from your lecturer’s speaker and then he got angry and gave an impossible impromptu test? (true story🥲)Sometimes, we come dangerously close to our limits as human beings.

Photo by Bruno Aguirre on Unsplash

So, here’s my guide to retaining top-tier mental health in school (I should read my work sometimes😔)

First off, You must realize that you simply cannot go at it alone. I’ve come to certain points in my life where I know that if not for Jesus, I’d have given up and called it a day. In my head, I’m this no-stress person (even if that has been disproved so many times) so when my stuff starts going south, I’m usually very inclined to give up run, and hide. If not for some TLC from the Almighty One I get to call Father, I’d do it too. So, know this: Without Jesus, life can’t ever make sense. I mean “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made”¹ If you’re confused, you get to ask the one who made it! I mean, how beautiful is that? Now more than ever, I'm reminded of the beautiful lyrics of this song;

Emi Mimo ese o

Emi awon woli

Iwo kuku l’agbara mi

Emi Mimo ese

This song translates to me thanking the Holy Spirit for His strength. If you’ve had a conversation with me in the past few weeks, I must have said something like “If these things were left to me, I would have broken down a long time ago”. As much as life has been lifing of late, The Holy Spirit has been strengthening me too🫶

Next on the list is as much as you can afford it, eat and eat well!!! A few times, it may seem like the world is about to collapse and no one likes you anymore, but you're just hungry (For the Word and for actual food, eat!). I believe that food isn't something you shouldn't try to compromise on. If you did, you'd be more hungry than usual and you'd be malnourished. I promise you. If you can afford to eat thrice a day, eat thrice a day! Honestly, I'm speaking from my own harsh experiences. I'll say it again, as much as it is left to you, eat and eat well! I've had hunger-induced headaches, mood swings, and much, much more that shouldn't even be gone into. Take it from me, eat.

A favorite food of mine🫶

Another tip I'll be giving you is to have a support system!!! I can't emphasize this enough. I've seen people that tried to go the “lone wolf” way. My dear, you're not a wolf, you're human. You weren't created to be friendless and alone. If you've had bad experiences with friends, trust me, I understand². I've had “friends” who blackmailed me into chewing paracetamol (I wish I was lying). But, you shouldn't, because of this, now write off having friends in their entirety. The people God has placed around me are sincerely the best I could ever ask for.

I told a friend of mine I had an impossible test and here’s what they sent me🥹

Something that God has continually used for me is the people around me. I once told a friend of mine that I was scared of starting this Substack and this person told me exactly what I needed to hear (Best believe they did it with scriptures too😂). My discipler once saw me feeling down and this man took it upon himself to cheer me up. More than I'd like to admit³, I've had to use the people in my life as crutches. If God hadn't placed them there, I'd have fallen. Again, you shouldn't try to go at it alone.

Another thing I'd like to add is don't let it get to you. A lot of stuff will happen in school, I promise you. But let's be real. If you let everything weigh on your heart, you'd be extremely burdened. Did you get 2 over 10 on that test? Alright, I'm not saying you should be happy about it, but, don't dwell on it and continue to wallow. In the end, you'll be fine. Please, don't read what I'm not writing. I didn't ask you to be lackadaisical about your studies o😂. Read your books and read them well. But then, don't let your books or your grades define you, my dear. Even if you've never heard this, you are worth much more than a 5.0 or an A.

Last but certainly not least on my list (did you see what I did there?😉) is rest. Dear Child of God, rest in Jesus' name! After all, He gives sleep to His beloved, doesn’t he⁴?🌚 My dear, sleep, take some time to chill and remove yourself from your work for a while. Get away, clear your head, let your mind be rejuvenated, and believe me, you'll see changes. Oftentimes, we like to see it as “If I rest, I won't be able to do so and so”. But then, if you don't rest, you also won't be able to do so and so. You can choose to be sleep-deprived and stressed (which places you at high risk for a breakdown) or, you can also choose to be energized to face a new day head-on. I've watched people crash because they weren't getting enough sleep. As much as we're walking and operating in Divine Health, there is a place for you to effectively tend to this mortal body that you have. Sleep, chill, read a book, watch a movie. You don't always have to go full speed ahead. Farabale k’o se jeje⁵

That's the end of our letter guys🤭. If you have anything else that you do or did to maintain top-tier mental health while in school, please, you can put it right in the comments✨

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Until next time,

All my love

Ayomide🤍

1. Here’s a quotation from John 1:3 in the English Standard Version.

2. I had a friend in primary school who I considered to be my best friend at the time. I was even considering going to the same secondary school as her (yeah, I was properly obsessed) But, indescribably quickly, she left me for one other girl. What made it even more painful was that the girl she left me for was one of the objects of our cooperative hatred. And then as if it couldn't get any worse, they started gossiping about me too. Believe me, there's nothing like a friendship heartbreak.

3. Sometimes, I like deluding myself into thinking I'm a Superwoman. Like I don't need anyone else except me. I'm sure the Holy Spirit laughs at me when I get like this.

4. Here's a quotation from Psalm 127 verse 2.

5. This translates to “Calm down and take it easy” in the Yoruba language.