There’s a strange feeling that comes with senior year. Lately, it feels like there is a running clock in the back of my mind that I can’t shut off. Every “last” is happening quicker than I thought it would, and I’m caught between wanting to slow down time and feeling like I’m already being pushed into my next chapter.
I always pictured my senior year as exciting, fun, and freeing. And it is. But it also comes with the question that seems to follow us everywhere: What are your plans after college? For a while, hearing that made me tense up. It pulled me out of the moment and straight into the pressure of the future. It made me wonder if these days are some of the last moments I’ll ever feel this free and surrounded by so many people who feel like home.
People love to say, live in the present, but no one really explains how to do that when everything in college has a deadline. Assignments, holidays, events, internships, even friendships sometimes feel scheduled. Everything has a date, including our last day on campus.
I won’t lie. I’ve struggled to accept that my time at Chico State is coming to an end. However, I’m learning that being present doesn’t mean avoiding the future. To me, it means actually letting myself feel the moments happening right now. It’s paying attention to the random late-night conversations in the kitchen, the coffee runs before class, the walks across campus when the air finally feels like fall. It’s realizing that these small, everyday things are the memories I’ll hold onto the most.
Learning to stay present hasn’t been easy for me, but it has helped me appreciate every second in a way I wasn’t able to before. And if this chapter is going to end, I at least want to know I was here for it while it was happening.If you’re like me, hearing just be present feels a little too vague to be helpful. So here are a few things that have genuinely helped me stay grounded in the moment, even when the future feels loud.
1.) Limit the future talk when you need to
It is perfectly okay to set boundaries around overwhelming conversations. If every hangout turns into career talk, gently shift the topic. Surrounding yourself with people who can enjoy right now with you makes a big difference. It’s not that the future isn’t important, but it doesn’t need to take up all the space.
2.) Romanticize even the little things
When I say romanticize even the little things, I don’t mean in a forced, Pinterest way, but in a real sense of paying attention. The walk to class, your favorite study spot, your go-to coffee order, the group chats that make you laugh during the day. When you treat the simple things like they matter, they start to. Even taking one photo or writing a quick note in your phone to remember a moment can help you slow down and actually see your life while you’re in it.
3.) Create “no planning allowed” moments
Having planned free time is rare in college, but it truly is needed. Try a night with your roommates where you don’t plan anything and just see where the night takes you. Go on a drive with no destination or take a walk without headphones. Little chunks of time with no agenda make you remember what being present feels like, it may even align you with your own thoughts and where your head is at.
4.) Allow yourself to feel everything
Part of living in the present is letting the feelings in. The excitement, the nostalgia, the fear of change, the gratitude for what you have. Feeling sad that this era is ending doesn’t mean you’re not enjoying it. Sometimes acknowledging the bittersweet moments is what makes them more even more meaningful.
There is something bittersweet about knowing a chapter is ending while you’re still living it. Maybe that’s why staying present feels so emotional. It reminds you that right now is temporary, but also incredibly special.
One day, the things that feel so casual today will be the memories you look back on and wish you could relive. So for now, let yourself sit in the feeling. Let yourself care about that feeling. If anything, the fact that it hurts a little means it mattered.