As my junior year wrapped up, I realized that I didn’t have any crazy things to look forward to for the upcoming summer. My two best friends were going to be experiencing completely new chapters: one best friend moving to Colorado for the summer to go be a camp counselor at a stay-away camp and my other best friend starting her corporate job post-grad. Now obviously I wasn’t completely alone; I was with my family and my hometown friends, but being apart from the two girls that make life incredible was something that was huge for me because we were chronically attached at the hip.
I made it my mission to still make the most out of this summer while still working about 40 hours a week. I made it my mission to be as content with my life and learn the most about myself possible. I had no clue how I was going to approach this summer, but I had my mind set on amplifying my summer experience, even with no plan. I spent every possible second I could with my little sister because it could’ve been our last summer before I started working a full-time adult job.
I began on researching about self-reflection because of how hectic my junior year was. It was so go-go-go that I never really had a second to sit down and think about the things that were actively happening in my life. I began to journal and just process my emotions about what my junior year entailed and I took time with every single emotion because it truly was necessary for what was happening in my head. I needed mental clarity and couldn’t avoid how stuffy my head space was so the only thing I needed to do is process every possible thing.
After sitting with everything for a while, I had two options to choose from. I could either sit in my pain and let if affect every decision moving forward or I could continue to grow as a person and become the best possible version of myself. Obviously I chose the second option because I had been doing the first option for years and wasn’t bringing me the best results. I wanted to become the best version of myself for my senior year so I could look back and have zero regrets moving forward.
I’ve learned that not everyone needs to know every detail of your life. Sometimes having those little things that you keep to yourself can be the best thing you do. I’ve learned that it’s okay to walk away from someone who brings you more harm than good. Sometimes you grow out of people and that’s normal. It’s better to stop being friends with someone than to slowly start resenting them over time. I’ve learned that prioritizing yourself should always be #1. It’s nearly impossible to take care of other people if you’re never taking care of yourself.