Along with the beginning of each new semester comes a bunch of new things to be stressed about. Homework, new classes, moving somewhere new, it can all get to be too much. I know that for me, personally, I am working on de-stressing from my summer, while also trying to get settled into a new apartment, as well as trying to figure out what my semester is going to look like.
This past summer, I worked my very first full time job. In fact, I ended up working closer to 45 hours a week, and I took a college course on top of that, so my summer was full of stress. At home (Lancaster, PA), there isn’t really anywhere to escape to when life feels like it is just a little bit too much. Your options are usually to make a weekend trip to the beach, or to go somewhere like Philly or a bigger city to escape all the madness. Because there weren’t many places to easily escape to at home, I never really got around to de-stressing.
Now that I’m back in Blacksburg and ready to begin another new semester, my stress about the school year is worse because of the summer stress I never dealt with. Trying to figure out when and where I have to be during the days, what an internship is going to look like for the semester, what books I need to buy, and how to budget for cooking on my own has proven to be a little bit much. Thankfully, Blacksburg offers many ways to de-stress!
My favorite thing to do when the beginning of the semester madness is getting to me is to hang out with friends. When I go home for the summer, I usually don’t get to see my friends from college, because I’m so far away from them. One of the first things I try to do at the beginning of the new school year is to hang out with those friends I haven’t seen in a while. A little bit of quality time with the people I love always does the trick.
The other thing I love to do when the beginning of the semester/year stress is getting to me is to find someplace quiet. Recently, some friends and I took a sunset hike at Bald Knob to go see what the view would be like from up there. Of course, the view was gorgeous, but even better was how quiet it was at the top of that trail. Once we all got to the top and found the perfect spot to watch that sunset from, my mind cleared and I felt like I could breathe deeply for the first time since being back in Blacksburg.
Sometimes, the beginning of the semester can do a number on my anxiety. With all of the new changes that a new semester or year brings, getting out and taking a breath can be the greatest gift you can give yourself.
All Photos are Author’s Own