Since I started college, I have been on a mission to improve my mental health and start having more self-confidence. I learned that my own outlook was the root cause of the negativity I was feeling, and that I needed to be more positive with myself.
Self-affirmations and motivations were key for me to start feeling confident in myself and my abilities. I stopped thinking about what other people would think and started becoming more self-sufficient. I began doing things that I wanted to do, like joining a fun club, taking more breaks than I used, taking spontaneous walks, and hanging out with my friends without being worried that I should be studying instead. With this mindset, I became happier and was able to make my study habits more efficient. With a more positive mindset, came better time management skills as well. I had time to properly study for my classes, complete work for my extracurriculars, and was not nearly as stressed as I used to be.
Understanding that I was my biggest obstacle was a difficult thing to grasp, and for a while, I was very scared to get out of that mentality. I learned that college did not have to be only work and that there were ways to find balance, while also having a healthy mentality. Simple things like getting a coffee or taking a nap were essential for me to make time for myself and keep feeling good about myself. When I set goals for myself and rewarded myself for achieving those goals, I was able to stay productive and not feel like I was wasting time. I had to be careful with this method though, because sometimes I felt like the only way I could do something I wanted to do was to complete a task first, and that can be an unhealthy mindset to be in. So I set achievable goals but also reminded myself that it was okay to relax and have fun too.
Filtering my music to include more positive and happy songs was also something that increased my overall well-being. I ditched the sad and melancholy tunes for energy-filled ballads that kept up my positive outlook. Over time, I was definitely in a better headspace and was feeling good in my own skin.
Throughout college, I have grown and learned from my experiences, helping me stay positive and reinforcing the idea that you can change your mindset and that progress does not have to be linear. Reflecting on my headspace now and before, I feel that getting rid of the negativity in my life was the perfect way to achieve a healthy lifestyle in college.
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