Picture this: It’s 8:30 am, the bus to campus leaves in fifteen minutes. You slept through your alarm after studying at the library until 2 am. There is no way you will make it to your 9 am on time, but you know that you absolutely cannot miss another lecture. Greasy hair, dirty clothes, and your 25 pound backpack cling to your body with an unsettling discomfort. You go into the kitchen to grab something for breakfast-on-the-go and realize that the only food in your fridge is stale milk and hot sauce that you stole from the dining hall. Disgruntled and hungry you stumble to the bus stop only to find that you left your laptop charger at home. Clambering onto the bus with no hope left in the world, you put in your headphones, find the saddest playlist on spotify, and dream about the possibility of a library nap in-between classes. A single tear of desperation rolls down your unwashed face.
Let be honest, we have all been there. Personally, I have been there so often that it has become a routine state of utter distress. As a second year college student, I have found that the pressures of adulthood have become increasingly harder to overcome with ease. Whether spending weeks boggled down with papers, weeks without more than four hours of sleep, weeks feeling stressed about the future, or weeks just exceptionally down on myself, college seems to rail my mental strength from all sides. Balancing and prioritizing my social life, school work, and mental health is an everyday battle.
I have come to the much needed realization that incorporating a positive mindset into every aspect of my life is the only way to overcome the college blues. To put it simply, a clean diet, exercise, hydration, adequate sleep habits only get you so far if your brain is clogged with negativity. Whether physical, emotional, or academic, you will never reach your goals unless you acknowledge your personal strengths with confidence.
In my prospective journey to personal growth, I have developed a love for cheesy inspirational quotes. While sitting on the bus at 8:45 am sulking about my disturbing sleep patterns, I will sometimes scroll through quote accounts to get me on track to take on the rest of the day. For your benefit, and mine, here are some of my favorite kick-ass quotes to help you through your darkest days:
1. “I hope there are days when you fall in love with being alive” -unknown
2. “I am in charge of how I feel and today I am choosing happiness” -unknown
3. “You should never regret anything in life. If its good, its wonderful. If its bad, its experience” -unknown
4. “Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will” -Gandhi
5. “Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet” -Aristotle
6. “Make decisions with a calm mind, not an angry heart” -Antony Stagg
7. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” -George Bernard Shaw
8. “Each chapter of our lives requests and old part of us to fall and a new part of us to rise” -Jenna Galbut
9. “You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather” -Pena Chodron
10. “We don’t grow when things are easy. We grow when we face challenges” -unknown
11. “Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it” -Brian Tracy
12. “If your dreams don’t scare you they arent big enough” -unknown
13. “Work hard in silence, let success make the noise” -unknown
14. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” -Neale Donald Walsch
15. “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire” -unknown
We’ve all been there- relationships suck, finals suck, young adulthood just sucks. I’m here to tell you that eventually this confusing stage of life will all come into place. You will ace that test. You will get a full night of sleep. You will get that internship. You will learn to love yourself. You will reach your potential and flourish in your individual strengths. It won’t be easy, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel just waiting for you to grab it.