The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNH chapter.
It is already the end of the semester, and time has flown by. As my junior year is closing and I am realizing I will be a senior next year, I am reflecting on everything I have learned this year. I truly think that events and circumstances that have happened this year have changed who I am. Since I am going into my senior year, I want to shed some light on things that I have learned so that maybe others can learn from my experience too.
- Taking care of yourself is your no. 1 priority. It may sound selfish at first, but you need to care for yourself and look out for yourself. If something is not in alignment with who you want to be or where you want to be, let it go. Do things that you love even if that means doing it alone. Treat yourself with love and feed yourself delicious and nutritious food. Drink enough water. Go to the gym, get that coffee, smoothie bowl or sweet treat. You deserve it. Reward yourself. Stay in instead of going out if that is what your body needs, listen to your gut, and overall follow your intuition. When you are able to care for yourself, your body will start caring for you too.
- If people are toxic, let them go. If they are not what you want to be or align with the same goals as you, let them go. If they treat you poorly, yell at you or call you negative names, let them go. I know it may hurt so badly to let what feels like a good friendship or relationship go, but you will feel better. You will begin to thrive on your own and forget about the fake so-called happiness you thought you had. If somebody loves you, they will not disrespect you or treat you badly. Surround yourself with people who care about you, people who love you, people who make you laugh and people who help you look at the bright side during tough times. You will start to feel so much better.
- Take breaks. You cannot be productive with the mindset that you are not allowed to take a break. I also do not mean just to scroll on TikTok for your break, I mean go outside, chat with some friends, go and get dinner outside of your room. Doing these things will lead to more productivity and accomplishment. Staring at your screen while your brain cannot do anything anymore is not going to be beneficial or helpful for you. Take a step back, take a deep breath and walk away from the hard task at hand. I promise it will be way easier to get back into the groove after you have given your mind some time away to become clear again.
- Learn how to cope with your stress. This is a key aspect of college; we are constantly thrown new things at us and just have to learn how to dodge and weave. Instead of dodging and weaving, I say figure out what helps you stay focused and happy. In life, there are going to be obstacles and challenges, and learning to implement relaxation techniques that help you is a lifelong skill that you can benefit from. For me, eating healthy, going to the gym, hanging out with my friends, taking a hot shower and going on walks are what help me stay centered and relaxed. I get myself a sweet treat when I have a productive day to help reinforce why I am here and dealing with this stress. There are so many different ways to destress yourself even if it is like writing an article for the club you love. Once you find a technique, you’ll be pretty golden throughout college.
- Do things that make you happy. College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and making the most of it is crucial. Watch a movie with your roommates instead of doing that homework assignment early, go to that concert or out to Libby’s or Scorps on a Friday night. Splurge on sushi and blue hawaiians and make the most of your experience. Soon enough there will not be any more Tuesday nights where you sprint to Campus Creamery at 8:30 p.m. or an 11 a.m. Dunkin’ run after a night out. Cherish every moment, good or bad because some of the best things that ever happened to me came from an obstacle I thought I would never get through.
I hope you enjoyed reading all that I have learned so far and I hope it helps you get through these next couple of weeks because there is so much to look forward to. I cannot wait to come back to UNH in the fall for my senior year so I can really cherish every last moment here I have left on campus.