(Paint) BUCKETS OF FUN

To commemorate the end of another year of Backdrop, members of the organization gathered at one of Ohio University’s graffiti walls on April 5 to create something magical.

After an obscene number of years of having cans of paint stashed in the Backdrop office, we decided to pry it open and slap it on the wall, literally. We invited our staff and members of the Athens community to stop by and put a handprint on the wall

As a publication, we aim to serve as the “backdrop” of OU and Athens. This activity felt like the perfect way to end the year in a fun and hands-on way. b

Backdropper Grace Koennecke shares how she will put her mental health first after a history of an overloaded schedule.

BY GRACE KOENNECKE | DESIGN BY ELLIE SABATINO

According to the American Psychological Association, the term workaholism was coined in 1971 by Wayne Oates, a minister and psychologist. Oates described the condition as “the compulsion or the uncontrollable need to work incessantly,” but now it’s defined as an addiction to work by multiple psychologists. Just as how the term has evolved, my experience with being a workaholic has as well, and its effects have impacted me, especially since coming to Ohio University.

In high school, I was a go-getter. I ran cross country, wrote for my school newspaper, learned self-defense, the list going on and on. While I thought I did a lot during that time in my life, I can now most definitely say that I had never experienced more on my plate than when I started college.

My freshman year, I began to realize just how competitive my major was as a journalism student, and it intimidated me as I saw other students around me accomplishing so much. As people were landing internships and jobs with major news organizations, it was my duty to compete against them, wanting to prove myself as a writer and student.

I felt like I wasn’t good enough, nor did I think I was as talented, and this kickstarted my battle with workaholism.

As the first few weeks of school flew by, I started signing up for more extracurriculars, taking on a new job and applying to positions that I thought would exemplify my leadership skills. Yet, all of these things I did to myself just added more stress, more exhaustion and more self-doubt, causing me to spiral into a negative headspace by my spring semester.

The self-disillusionment I was experiencing even trickled into my personal life. I was too busy to hang out with my friends and my significant other, too worried about missing a meeting or class assignment. I didn’t have time to call my family, causing me to grow anxious about their well-being. I didn’t even have any personal time, my planner was filled with events to go to. My mental health was also at its worst, my anxiety spiking as I lost sleep from overworking myself. While working hard meant that I was thriving academically, as well as staying organized and involved on campus, I had drained myself completely. I saw myself looking from the outside in as I watched my friends find balance in their college lives. This realization was what landed me in therapy, which was honestly my saving grace.

It’s a different kind of slap in the face when a medical professional is telling you that you’re a workaholic rather than your friends and family, but I really did need to hear it. For years, I had been denying this known fact about myself. Instead, I suppressed it, thinking that my anxiety and tendency to be an overachiever was just a normal part of being a college student. Through my time in therapy, I learned that it was actually normal to feel the pressure of wanting to be the best, especially in a rigorous academic environment. And for once, I was able to open up to someone about it, which was something I never thought I’d be able to do; I’m usually not the type of person who likes to get emotional or super personal with others right away. While it’s good sometimes to have thick skin, it also sucks when you feel like you can’t shed a few tears with the people you trust. I knew I had to stop being scared of my anxietyinduced tendencies.

To ease my stress, I thus had to learn how to let go of the things that I just simply didn’t enjoy transitioning into my sophomore year. I quit the job that I hated, stopped applying for positions and began taking breaks for myself. By doing all of these things, I found myself happier than I had been in months, feeling like I actually had the free time to do what I pleased. I was able to reconnect with my friends, stay in touch with my family more often and actually enjoy the extracurriculars I was in, which was what I wanted deep down in the first place.

Now nearing the end of my sophomore year, I’ve been able to let go of most of the stress and anxiety that college has thrown at me so far, even if my struggles with workaholism are still present. Yet, I think it’s important that I’ve acknowledged this about myself, and that like anxiety and stress, this condition never fully disappears. Instead, I’ve used this condition to my advantage, trying to embrace the positives of it.

Being a workaholic means that I’m driven, self-motivated, hard-working and passionate about what I’m doing. I set goals for myself all the time, and I have high expectations for my writing and school work. I also know how to multitask, keeping my personal and academic priorities in check. Lastly, it proves my willingness to work and improve, which has helped me grow as a person, student and writer.

Overall, I’ve learned that it’s extremely important to prioritize your mental health while in college, and if you don’t, the consequences of not taking care of yourself can exceed your expectations. Instead, ask for help when you need it, even when it’s hard, and know that college is supposed to be challenging, but not to the point that it hinders your social life and personality.b