The final weeks of any school year come with a lot of added stress: final projects, final exams, final club events and even goodbyes.
Some of us will be returning in the fall and just want to get through these last few stressful weeks. Others will be saying goodbye to the place they’ve spent the last four years of their lives.
Regardless of whether you just need some motivation to get you through finals, or some reassurance that you’ll be fine out in the “real world,” Her Campus UConn put together a list of some of the best advice we’ve received.
“My Nana tells me ‘just do your best, it’s the best you can do’ and it’s simple but when you think about it, we always beat ourselves up over things we can’t do. It really gives me faith in myself when I know I’m doing my best, there’s no need to worry about the rest.”
“Doing your job will never be a problem. It’s dealing with other people that makes it tough.”
“‘Well, did you do your best? Then you should feel proud!’ It definitely helps me to feel better about myself and to not take each setback so seriously.”
“‘The world consists of the good, the bad, and the ugly. How you handle that is what defines and shapes you as a person’ – my dad. This got me through a lot of petty situations and helped with how to deal with people in general. It lets you focus on you as a person and that you always have control and it made me think of how to be the person I want to be.”
“‘So many people in life are going to tell you ‘no’ or that you can’t do it. That’s when you have to tell yourself that you can.’ This is something my brother said to me a few years ago and it stuck with me. I know this is something that a lot of people tell you, but this time it felt different and a bit more meaningful.”
“My Poppy’s signature phrase was ‘It’s all part of life.’ He used to say that to us whenever we were having a bad day or something rough happened to us. Though it’s just a simple saying, whenever something bad happens to me I just hear him saying it in my head and it reminds me that I have to take the good with the bad in life; everyone is bound to face hard times and that’s okay.”
“I worked with a guy who was helping me through a lot of internship applications and I was nervous about it, and he asked me ‘What are you scared of?’ and ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ It’s really inspired me to kind of grab life by the reigns and stop waiting for the ‘right moment’ for things and just go out and do it.”
“My grandpa always says, ‘Never eat anything bigger than your head.’”
“‘Shooters shoot’ is great advice, always take a shot.”
“This is very cheesy but my Nonna always said that ‘the moon shines the brightest on the darkest of days.’ Because my last name translates to ‘moon,’ I always take that saying and repeat it to myself when I’ve gone through a lot of difficult moments.”
“When I was in 10th grade, I had this geometry teacher who was a really bad teacher and also just super mean. One day I left my homework in my locker and after working up the courage to tell her that, she proceeded to say to me, ‘You are the most disorganized student I’ve ever taught!’ in front of the whole class (and the guy I really liked was in that class so this was super embarrassing). Naturally, I was really upset and was recounting the story to my friend in bio later that afternoon. A kid in my class overheard and said to me, ‘You can’t take what she says personally. She’s like that to everyone.’ I don’t know why, but this not only made me feel so much better, but has stayed with me all these years. If somebody is rude or mean to you, that is a reflection of them, not you.”
“My Nana always says, ‘If you believe that you can, you will.’ I feel like that’s always something good to remember in times of doubt.”
“‘One day you’re going to wake up, look at yourself in the mirror, and be happy and it’s not going to be because of your skin. You’re such a beautiful young girl right now who’s going to grow up to be a beautiful young woman realizing her face doesn’t define who she is. You’re going to look in the mirror and see those spots are gone not because of skincare, because of self care and confidence.’ – the Estee Lauder counter lady at Macy’s when I was 15 years old. I remember this incident word for word because I was struggling really bad with acne and scarring and I went to their counter with my mom to try to see if their skincare products would work and I just saw myself in the mirror when she was putting the product on and started tearing up. Then she said that and I bawled in the middle of the store. I remember that every day because it’s true. I became so much more comfortable in my skin and don’t see my acne/scarring anymore in the mirror. It’s just a good thing to remember if you ever feel ‘bleh’ about yourself. On the bright side, I got a free lipstick because of my breakdown.”
“Just because another woman is beautiful doesn’t mean that you are not.”
Always remember to believe in yourself, collegiettes and may the end of your semester be everything you’re hoping for.