By Yamila Garcia
Routine is a safe place for many of us. Being able to have a routine is complicated but it is much more difficult to get out of it. That is why, despite being extremely tired after two intense months, the spring break is somehow destabilizing for me. I really appreciate the time to rest, but I still feel the lack of direction caused by breaking my routine. Of course, it is not the first time I am experiencing this, and I do know how to deal with it. I know this happens to me all the time, I also know that when I start getting used to the break, classes start again. Of course, that is uncomfortable, but I know I will overcome that too. And knowing lessens the burden. Being able to look back and understand that what is happening now is just “something else” to deal with, gives me the confidence to deal with anything that comes my way.
Discomfort is a common thing for me. I feel it almost all the time but at some point, I stopped perceiving it as something negative and started thinking of it as a motivation. Something that tells me I am going in the right direction and that after doing it, I will feel proud of myself. Discomfort tells me I am facing a challenge and that prepares me to accept awkward feelings. Not fighting those feelings is the main step to being able to take them and mold them the way I need. Definitely, I did not know all this when I was younger. It took me many years to learn how to handle those situations and to stop fighting my own feelings. The discomfort feels the same, but it does not stop me from doing anything because I know what I am feeling isn’t wrong and it will eventually stop.
During this spring break, I was able to reflect more on these issues. I keep learning about myself, I think that never stops, but I am also surprised to think that without knowing what it was about, I found many solutions to the difficulties I faced. I guess we do not need labels to find solutions. Just as we shouldn’t need labels to make education accessible and diverse for all kinds of learners. At school, there are professors that make the whole process easier. It is as if, without knowing it, they help us to fight the battle that we are fighting alone within ourselves. Those professors are the ones who, when I return to campus on Monday, will help carry the weight of a new adaptation. Monday will be another awkward beginning, but like all the previous ones, one that I will be able to overcome.