Coming back from summer break can be seen as a great thing, especially if your summer internship wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. Whatever you’re feeling at the beginning of this semester, it is always a great idea to do some de-stressing activities and reflection. Self-care is the secret ingredient for a positive attitude. We want to see you prosper this year, sis!
A few stresses that usually arrive at the peak of the semester are money, classes, and friends. Although every single student may not fit into each category perfectly, I know we’ve all experienced some stress at the beginning of the semester.
Money
Okay, so the semester has started, tuition is paid, now what? Textbooks, access codes, notebooks, this is getting exhausting. Whether you’re paying for this yourself or mom and dad, it’s still a headache. Once you have bought all of your school supplies, you still have to eat. Everything adds up to be seriously expensive. A lot of this is inevitable; that one professor may not be lenient on his textbook, and we aren’t at home for home-cooked meals. However, don’t let me be a Debby Downer; here’s how to navigate this:
-You should get necessities first, that way you avoid any overspending. Here is a great app to help with budgeting.
-Attend free events and even more so, attend free events that your college hosts as they tend to have free food and memorabilia.
Classes
New classes can be exciting, but it can be intimidating. Maybe you have goals this semester for your GPA, or you heard that the new statistics professor is tough. We’ve all been nervous about a class. You either get through it by strategically planning how to study or drop/withdraw. Before your mind drifts there, how about you try this:
-Link your Google calendar and your school schedule together.
-Create a study plan (here’s how.)
-Purchase a planner to help with prioritizing; this is the one I use!
Friends (Transfers & Freshman)
Attending a new school is nerve-racking. Especially when you didn’t meet anyone at orientation or just haven’t “clicked” with anyone yet. Schools often time create spaces for all freshman and transfers to mingle to meet new friends. If your school sucks at playing matchmaker, try this on for size:
-Social media (I’ve met some of my closest friend from Instagram).
-Be Yourself: don’t feel the pressures of fitting into a crowd that’s not for you.
-Be Social: have you ever heard of the phrase, “a closed mouth won’t get fed”? If you retreat to your dorm every day, how do you expect to meet people?
Self
At the end of each semester, I self-reflect on how well I did and how well I could have done if I tried harder. Did I neglect friends or family? How many times did I check in with myself mentally? Often we forget about ourselves and get so wrapped into school while focusing on money, classes, and friends that we forget about the most important person, which is us. Here’s how to take care of you this semester:
-Keep a journal, allow self-reflection.
-Get dolled up (or your version of dolled up). When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you’ll do good. So, go ahead, get that manicure and pedicure.
-Turn on Do Not Disturb during certain times of the day and relax.
I hope these tips work for you as the semester begins. Please share/comment below your self-care routine on getting back into the swing of things this Fall. Also, remember to focus on the things that you have control of some things are inevitable and have fun; this is the time to make mistakes. Here is my Apple Music Playlist to kick your semester off to a great start!