Don’t you ever miss the days when life was simple, and all you had to worry about was what game you would play that day? Nowadays, our life is filled with lectures, homework, and late nights. Our world today is filled with constant stress about deadlines, relationships, and so much more, but wouldn’t life be simpler if we just channeled our inner child at times? Sometimes we just need to not have a care in the world and unleash our princess dresses and put on our sparkly high heels and go paint the town whatever color we desire it to be. As children, we always desired to grow up, become a teenager, and marry our Prince Charming.
Now it’s ironic that, as adults, we long to become young again. My advice is to never stop being a kid. When times are stressful and overwhelming, don’t forget that you have the free will to step back, take a deep breath, and do something that you loved doing as a child. Whether that is drawing animals, rainbows, and flowers on the sidewalk with chalk, or curling up with your favorite Judy Moody book, or pulling out your American Girl doll from the attic and playing dress up with her. Whatever your favorite game or activity was to do as a kid, don’t be afraid to do those things even as a twenty-year-old. As a kid, I always enjoyed dressing up myself in Disney Princess dresses and including my dolls and stuffed animals in on the fun. Being able to dress up at such a young age made me feel confident and helped me create a sense of style and self. Now, as a young adult, I often feel not confident and can forget about style and how much joy that brings me.
There are days when I need a confidence boost, and then I remember how I was when I was young and spunky. So when I am feeling down and need a boost of joy, I grab my favorite pair of heels, do my hair, throw on my favorite outfit, and go do something to make me feel young and free, just like I did when I was a child. Being a college student and young adult is hard. We have responsibilities, and at times we let them consume us. Instead of letting the pressure of today’s world bring you down, take a few hours and let your 7-year-old self come to life and add sparkles of joy to your life.