I Memorized Countries, Lost Myself

I spent sophomore year memorizing every country on the world map. Not because I loved geography—because I was terrified of being wrong. I'd quiz myself alphabetically until 2AM. Made flashcards for landlocked nations. Color-coded continents like my life depended on it. I could tell you which countries border Laos faster than I could tell you what I actually wanted to study. The method of loci? I turned my childhood bedroom into a mental map. Portugal in my closet, Spain by the window. My safe spaces became study tools. I aced every geography test. Got the A. Felt nothing. Turns out memorizing the world doesn't help when you're completely lost in it. I knew 195 countries by heart but couldn't locate myself in any of them. Now I can barely remember where I put my keys, but I still flinch when someone mentions studying techniques. #Education #AcademicBurnout #PerfectionismKills