Back to School

To me, it seems bizarre how after only being back in school for a mere few weeks, the warm summer breeze, beach days, and the complete laziness of not having any assignments, club meetings, or obligations to rush off to seem eons away. With the start of school comes the stress of school work, but also social obligations and the sometimes monotonous structure and pattern of school days, and sometimes even weekends. Sometimes, it’s difficult to go from freedom, home-cooked meals and less responsibility to the hustle and bustle of life in college. In some ways, high school was a lot more stress than college. Think about it: eight hour school days, usually paired with a few hours of sports practice or extracurricular, resulted in rushed late night dinners, little sleep, only to wake up and do it all again the next morning. So, college is a dream come true. More time to sleep? Less than eight class periods a day? Not to mention classes being every other day, so technically there should be more time to get assignments done, and more time to spend perfecting those assignments, to excel in classes. It doesn’t always work out that way though. College comes with the gift of always being surrounded by others – so much that seeing someone eat alone in a cafeteria during peak dinner time is often not a familiar sight. But, that is often a difficult social obligation to adhere to, especially when one may value their alone.T here is also the pressure of the inching towards adulthood, real responsibilities, and the “real world.” Now is the time to secure that internship, earn that high GPA, and build your resume. I’d have to say that college and high school both come with their ups and downs, their baggage and their highs. Obviously, there are pros and cons to each transition period of life, as well as each school year and place. I think it is important to keep in mind that with each transition and beginning, it can be rocky at first, and it can take a few weeks to get into the rhythm of the normality of life. So, as the weather gets colder and the leaves continue to change color, remember to take time for yourself. Whether that be staying in one night, doing a face mask, or creating a calming Spotify playlist, cut yourself some slack and let yourself slowly ease into the school year.