To say this last month has been stressful is an understatement. As a senior going into my last semester, the obvious stressors apply; I am updating my resume, applying for jobs, and scrambling to get it together before being out in the real world in just a few short months. Aside from this, the pandemic has completely changed my college experience and consequently I had online classes for over a year and my social life has suffered. Aside from these collective experiences everyone at a university is dealing with, I also got the terrible news that my house off-campus flooded. What does this entail you might ask? Lots of phone calls, paperwork, emails, living in a hotel, temporary housing, and packing up my life at least five times this past month. Let’s just say, 2022 has not been nice to me so far. However, I am optimistic that I am on the up and this is in no way a pity party!
Through all of this, I have been trying to focus on the bright side. I have always been an “everything happens for a reason” girl and I have been searching for the meaning behind all of this lately. What have I learned or gained from this experience? So far, my biggest takeaways are my newfound skills: resilience and adaptability. I learned to adapt to online classes and continue to push through to obtain my undergraduate degree. I made the best out of moving from place to place this semester and getting comfortable wherever I had to live. Resilience is the ability to recover from a situation and adaptability is the ability to adapt to a new situation. They work in tandem to help you make the best out of the cards you’ve been dealt. These two skills will hopefully help me as I grow up and encounter other difficult situations and curve balls through life. With that, here are some tips I have learned over the past few months.
1. Focus on what you can control. When everything feels so out of your control, the one thing that helps me is trying to feel like I have some of my power back. Make your own schedule, say no to things, and schedule in me-time. Do whatever you can that makes you feel like you are behind the wheel of your own life again.
2. Build your relationships. It can be easy to push out the people around you when you are going through a really stressful time period in your life, it’s something I am definitely guilty of. Be sure to appreciate those around you who are supporting you along the way. Having a support system can make all the difference and help remind you of the positives in your life.
3. Get into a routine. Just in this past week, I have finally gotten back into a groove. I have been strict about my sleep schedule, trying to eat three meals a day, and doing my homework and household tasks I have been trying to accomplish for weeks. This attempt to get back on track is making me feel motivated again and could be helpful for you too!
Long story short, perfecting my resilience and adaptability has been a key part of my semester, and maybe it has been for you too. You are never alone in your struggles and you can always find security in knowing that maybe those around you are going through the same thing. Use these tips and create new ones that work for you. Being resilient and adaptable will benefit your mental and physical health when helping you get out of a rut.
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