Navigating college in a normal setting is quite difficult. During a typical senior year, students are faced with the additional stress of finding a job to enter post-college, which is only second to, you know, figuring out what the heck you want to be when you grow up. Then, you have to consider where you want to live after graduation, if you can even afford to move out of your parents’ house, and face the fact that your years and years of education (which is all you really know) are coming to an end as you are about to be abruptly thrown into the *real* world.
Now take all that, topped with the annual overwhelming classes, polish it off with the looming dread that you will never be living so close to all of your college friends at once, and plop it right into a pandemic.
Nice, right?
Well, all of that really sums up my life right now. Of course there are always other individual stressors that come and go in waves, but that’s life of course. Okay—enough wallowing. Let’s talk about how I’m making the best of a pretty shitty situation.
Trying out new trails and mountains has been a great way to get moving outdoors. Plus, the views are always so breathtakingly rewarding. It’s the perfect activity to safely practice social distancing while stretching our legs after all of our remote learning!
It’s not always possible to be outside especially with fickle weather that isn’t always permitting. Another way I have been spending my time is by trying new recipes. Pinterest is a great tool to find yummy desserts, fun new meals, and fun snacks to keep me fueled in between Zoom meetings. My roomies don’t mind my constant baking either, and it’s a great way to show my appreciation of them!
Although it’s great to find new hobbies and explore as much as I can in the places around me—it’s also okay to do absolutely nothing. As someone who seeks fulfillment through constant productivity and work/school related achievements, not to mention the fact that I am a total extrovert, it’s hard to come to terms with an empty plate. Especially when all of my obligations seem to be quite consuming, I remind myself to take a break and some time to myself.
There is so much going on in the world right now. Not only are we living through COVID-19, but we are surrounded by so many social justice problems, systemic racism, terrors of climate change, one of the most important presidential elections…the list is endless. So, yeah, life kind of sucks right now for a lot of reasons. Sometimes the best thing to do is recognize that yeah, life is hard. But, I’m okay and doing the best I can and that is simply enough.