In my time at Furman, like the average person, I’ve experienced many things from personal growth to dating mishaps to friendships going through ups and downs. At times, I felt like I didn’t have an upperclassman at Furman to talk to about it – to know it was eventually all going to be okay. So, today’s article is an accumulation of some of the things I have learned along the ride that is college. I hope it helps!
1. Take every day day by day.
I used to focus so much on tomorrow, the next week, the next month. In reality all that did was make my anxiety worse. I found a lot of peace in saying day by day because it reminded me to stay present and to deal with the things that were presently in my view rather than the things that may or may not be in the following days. It’s easy to get anxious about something next week or next month, but it’s important to train yourself to take the day you have presently and focus on what you can do in that present moment.
2. Everything happens for a reason
I know, it’s the most cliché saying in the world but it’s proven true so much. When I have questioned why something had to happen or why something didn’t happen, this quote reminded me that maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but someday I will know why something had to happen. Perhaps it saved me from hurt in the long run or it led me to another opportunity I didn’t know existed at the time. It ALWAYS comes full circle.
3. Never stop making friends.
As a senior, I came in with the mentality of I’ve made the friends I’m going to make but I couldn’t have been more wrong. From freshmen to juniors to new senior friends, I have been able to form strong connections and learn a lot of lessons from the new friendships I opened myself up to just this year. To the girls of all ages I drive home from chapter screaming Mac Miller to the junior I now get weekly meals with, these girls have made my days brighter and better without realizing it. So I encourage you guys to have the same mindset because you never know who you will meet and what their impact will be on you and vice versa.
4. Don’t take it personally
This piece of advice is something I have recently found a lot of comfort in. It is something that makes me step back and realize the way people act and treat me honestly has nothing to do with me. It’s a reflection of them. It’s not to say that you should ever accept disrespect by someone and not take it personally to the level of ending a friendship or relationship. If someone treated you poorly, remember it’s not something you did or your responsibility. Their feelings are theirs and a reflection of them. I tend to get lost in how people treat me and think that I did something wrong. But this simple quote reminded me that it’s not about me and if someone had a problem with something I was doing, they should communicate it rather than treating me in a different way.
That’s all I have for now! I hope you all spend the next few weeks celebrating the end of your academic years and that you never forget your intrinsic worth and value.