It was one of the most exhilarating moments of Haniya’s life when her mother told her that her sister was getting married. She was on cloud nine and jumped around the house in excitement. However, anxiety and stress crawled in when she got to know that due to some reason, the dates of wedding functions were changed and they were now scheduled in the same week as her exams.

Haniya wasn’t able to comprehend whether she should be elated for her sister’s wedding or worried about her final exams. Haniya’s family advised her to prepare for her exams beforehand so that she could enjoy the wedding, but she was very worried. On one hand she was eagerly looking forward to enjoying her sister’s wedding, but on the other hand, the exam stress made her anxious about managing both together.

Haniya’s house was full of guests, with her younger cousins running around with henna on their hands and her older cousins singing songs. On the contrary, Haniya had to sit in a room, surrounded by books so that she could prepare well and appear for her exams during the wedding days. It was also heart-breaking for her that her only sister was getting married, and she was unable to join her family for the shopping of clothes and shoes. Haniya was also unable to attend dinners and lunches at some of her relatives’ place because she had to devote her time to studying beforehand.

As Haniya’s exams drew closer, her anxiety level also started to increase. She felt as if she would not be able to perform well due to all the distractions that she had been facing. Haniya did not have confidence in her preparation and felt that she was unable to manage her time effectively between her educational and personal lives. However, as the most awaited week approached, things started to fall in place. Although Haniya had sacrificed on some of the wedding preparations, she was able to manage time between her finals and the wedding functions effectively. To her astonishment, she performed well in her exams and enjoyed her sister’s wedding functions too.

Having given her exams quite well and even enjoyed her sister’s wedding to the fullest made Haniya realise her potential of effective time management. She realised that life sometimes offers tough situations, but effective management and some sacrifice can help a person to overcome those difficulties.

This situation also helped Haniya to realise her potential of maintaining focus. She was able to prepare for her exams properly and concentrate on the need of the moment despite the temptations of participating in the wedding preparations.

Haniya was proud of herself as she had managed two very great events of her life with such careful planning and effort. Haniya is now able to walk through even the toughest situations of her life which demand effective time management and stress handling abilities.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 1st, 2022