February 2026 "Mapping the Mind: A Daily Reflection" by Estefani Gordillo

"A pencil, just for the sake of being more sharp, has to go through blade. That's life we all had” - life lessons from a pencil.

Drowning in The Daily TO-DO

Our purpose in coming to class on time, attending tutoring to improve our reading and writing skills, or even studying for that difficult exam, is a clear objective we challenge ourselves with to help us fulfill certain goals that will benefit us in the long run. Although these accomplishments make us feel happy the moment we check them off our list, the hard work put into each assignment still holds that power to drain us. The circumstance of feeling stress and anxiety when beginning the semester is normal. I know many of us have felt like a chameleon many times, and we tend to stay quite hidden. Maybe we confirm that our mask looks better with the help of a distraction that hides the scars on the face. I would love to share with you the strategy I use that can help you prepare emotionally and mentally for the battles you will need to face and learn to overcome throughout the semester.

Penning Away Panic

I sure hope by now most of you have gotten advice from someone at least once in your lifetime about the medicine called journaling. What - writing?! Ugh! No way. Let me clear the air for those of you who are almost turning the page. Journaling is not writing a one-thousand-page essay for your instructor. To be clear, journaling is the practice of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to help relax your mind, express your level of gratitude towards the good and bad days, and help you learn to manage your goals. There are no rules in journaling, so you are free to write down almost anything that comes to mind. College should not feel like an extra barrier in your life that stops you from doing what you want to do because you have chosen to enroll for a specific reason. That reason should not be put on hold because of the luggage on your train.

The First Page

The key to enjoying journaling is to choose the words you want to write down and, most importantly, to be consistent. Venting your emotions alone is not enough to heal your stress and improve your mental health. Instead, challenge yourself on why you feel what you feel and think of what you may do differently to confront the emotions of distress. I think now is a good time to practice a simple activity that may help you understand where you are and what you need to work on to proceed with a smile this entire semester! Let's start!

Fill in the blank:

•                                                        triggered me today.

• I don’t have                      , so I truly feel                      .

• I want to brave enough to                                           .

• Today, I will try to stop stressing about                     .

• I feel                         when I see                                     .

• I feel so                                                                  .

• I no longer need/want                                         .

• I do not want to fail at                                         .

• I wish I could change                                            .

• I know I avoid feeling                                            .