Column: managing stress in the midst of financial crisis

By Chelsea Weeks, Assistant Features Editor

Mama didn’t raise no quitter.

I used to say this to myself whenever I was finishing a workout or starting on a third piece of pie.

However, I have found myself saying this phrase of encouragement more and more every week.

In fact, I have cried more in the past two weeks, due to stress, then I have all last year.

It all started in January when I got a job as the assistant manager at Maurice’s. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I am beyond grateful to have it.

I had applied for the job in early January because I had wanted to be comfortable with my position before school started.

Well, the hiring process took forever and I found myself struggling to get back into the swing of school as well as juggling the responsibilities of a job.

Two weeks have passed since then and although I feel better about managing school and work, I still find myself constantly overwhelmed. But mama didn’t raise no quitter.

Another issue that is currently a persistent burden, is my need for financial aid.

I only got a third of my expenses covered by scholarships and subsidized loans this semester–which I was aware of and knew I would need to get student loans.What I wasn’t prepared for was my need for a cosigner; I applied for a loan from Discover and got approved, but I needed a cosigner to determine my interest rate.

You see, I have been independent from my parents since I was 18. I have lived in my own apartment, bought my own vehicles and have had my own credit card for three years; I’ve never had a late payment and I always pay the full amount.

My credit score is 744 for crying out load; which is pretty good for a 21-year-old college student. All my life, my parents and close relatives told me never to cosign and that they never cosign for anybody.

So, I’m stuck. my only option was my aunt, who told me today she couldn’t help because the amount was too high. I was depending on my own financial stability that I have built for the past several years, to support myself.

It’s so frustrating because this world criticizes those who are dependent, yet makes it so hard to become independent. It is so easy to become overwhelmed by the pressure that financial aid has.

But mama didn’t raise no quitter.

Not to mention that school work is a major stressor.

Although I have been able to turn everything in on time, I feel as though I am barely keeping my head above the waters.

Even though we’re only half-way into the semester, it feels like forever.

There are moments where I doubt my ability to make it. But mama didn’t raise no quitter.

When under a lot of stress, it is easy to let go of one’s values for the sake of rest; whether physical, emotional or spiritual.

There have been many times where I desperately want to stop and breathe, but I can’t bring myself to.

Mama didn’t raise no quitter.