We all made it through another month. So, congratulations! I hope everyone had a very happy Halloween with lots of candy and smiles. This busy time of the semester has really forced me to reflect on ways to keep myself sane in the midst of assignments and exams. October was a month of self-improvement for me, and I can only hope the same for everyone else, which brings me to my reflection:
1. Take steps to avoid burnout.
You have to take steps to actively look out for yourself. It’s really easy to fall into traps of neglecting yourself *cough* like eating Kraft Easy Mac for two weeks straight (which I definitely have not done *cough*), and it’s important to make sure that you’re not overworking yourself. Allow for time to take breaks and take care of your body and mind. You have to rely on yourself to make the decisions that are best for you, which is especially hard with school and extracurriculars, but I promise the little things matter.
2. Ariana Grande is still THAT queen.
If there’s anything that Ariana has taught us, it’s that being independent and loving yourself is more than okay. Even the biggest celebrities go through heartbreak, and they all turn out fine in the end. After going through a very public engagement and breakup, Ariana released a snippet off of her upcoming album with her song “thank u, next.” I know I’m not the first person to say that I’ve had the song on repeat since it was released. Ariana serves as a reminder that we’re all capable of loving ourselves and searching for positivity even in the most difficult of times.
3. Being 18 is a really weird time.
But it’s also a beautiful time. Very much inspired by the New York Times’ project/photo zine This is 18, I’ve reflected on what being 18 means to me. (BTW, UF students have a free subscription to the New York Times!) Eighteen is arguably just a really weird transition age where you’re kind of an adult, but you still can’t really do anything. I am also reminded of how much closer I am to 19. Just a few months ago, I was sitting in my high school classroom in a small town, and now I’m living on my own and attending large lectures in Gainesville. I’m grateful for the life that I get to live as an 18-year-old woman. Not every 18-year-old has the chance to get an education and pursue their passions, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my education and passions to better the world.
4. You have to be really, really bad before you can be really, really good.
When I imagine my future, I picture myself as a writer. I imagine myself as an author of multiple books and a writer for a major publication. In my head, it’s a linear path from here to there. But, sometimes, I’ll write something, and it’ll be objectively bad (trust me). Though I feel discouraged, I understand that in order to get better at writing, I have to do a lot of it. I might be really bad at it at first, but I’ll continually improve as I keep writing. This applies to other facets of life as well, especially in the world of the arts. Your aspirations may not be the same as mine, but the same holds true: You have to get through the periods of being really bad at something before you can be really good at it.
5. Stop dramatizing little mishaps.
I won’t lie: I’ve flunked a couple of assignments (and maybe some exams, too) since my last reflection piece. The transition from high school to college takes a toll on every freshman, and there’s no way to escape it. I found that it’s really easy to make yourself believe that failing an assignment is the end of the world and that it ruins all possibilities of being successful in life — we’ve all been there. I was devastated when I first saw some of my not-so-great grades, but I realized that there was nothing I could do at that point to change what happened. It wasn’t the end of my life nor was it the end of my academic career. The only thing I could do was make a vow to myself to work harder and to re-evaluate my study methods.
It’s crazy to think that 2018 is almost over. The holiday season is upon us, and I’m wishing everyone the absolute best as we transition from pumpkin spice lattes to peppermint mochas.
On a final note, here’s a little reminder for you (and myself): You are 100 percent going to be okay and make it through the semester no matter how stressful it gets. Take it one day at a time. This semester will be over before you know it.
See you next month!