As we all know, this year I transferred to the University of Alabama and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made, so I'm going to use this space (and this time between now and summer classes start up) to reflect on all I've learned, and hopefully encourage someone to try something totally new! So lets break it all down..
Moving far away from home is hard.
I feel like this goes without saying, but being away from the comfort of home is not easy, and it's a huge adjustment. It was something I didn't really grasp until I got sick first semester, and had to navigate fully advocating for myself, all by myself. While this is very common thing, it's natural to want to reach back out to family to ask for help, but when you're 13 hours from home... that changes their ability to help, and your ability to even ask. However, I think that being away from home has allowed me to grow into who I am as an adult, and being able to decipher what I wanted to do, or who I wanted to be, since there was nobody telling me what I should/should not be doing.
Build in time for yourself.
As an introvert, I find this is something I can occasionally struggle with while being in college. I push myself to go out and meet new people and go to different activities where I can experience new things (etc), but it can be very emotionally draining without that alone time to recharge, and recenter myself. Building in even a few hours of alone time everyday can make such a difference. I found it worked best to use my time to workout, as time to recharge by myself (and would sometimes just put my headphones in and not play any music to enjoy the silence). Some people love working out with other people, so other parts of their day would be better suited for alone time, and some people are so extroverted that they don't need much alone time at all. Yet, even extreme extroverts benefit from some time alone, since that's one of the best opportunities for someone to focus in on their goals, reflect on the past, and evaluate what they need to do moving forward. Moral of the story, even if not everyday, schedule some time in every week where you can have a few moments of silence alone to recenter yourself.
Say YES (But save your money).
As someone who loves going out to do fun things, and has no issue spending money.. (but also values saving my money and working)... one thing I realize this past year is how crucial it is to create a budget, and stick to it. Yes, you want to be able to go out with your friends and do all the fun things, or to go grab something to eat, but it sucks when you get that alert that your card has been overcharged and you're now SOL. SO... plan in advance, and budget in some of those sporadic fun activities. The worst thing that happens is you end up not doing them, and you save a bit of money. The other thing that I want to mention is not every activity needs to cost money. Say yes when a friend invites you to meet to go for a walk, hangout and watch a movie, etc. Going out to the bars (while it can be fun) is not cheap - so don't be fooled into thinking that's the only way to have fun.
You are the people you surround yourself with.
Yet another lesson that I've been learning as the years progress. I've had a few different friend groups throughout high school/early college as I learned who I wanted (or who I want to be). Being around people who inspire you and make you want to be a better version of yourself is the most important things. Someone once told me that there are different friends for different seasons, and I live by this now. Not everyone is going to be my best friend, not everyone is going to be a friend I confide in, but every friend is important. So if you make each other want to be better, then that's a win. If they make you want to veer away from who you want to be, then the more you hangout with them the worse you will feel (as sad as it is to realize in the moment). Stay true to yourself. Be a badass. Rock on.
Time flies by, take in the moment.
While I'm writing this at 19, I feel like I was just 15 in high school yesterday, so I can't even imagine how fast the upcoming years will feel. Transitioning into being your own person, at least from my perspective, I feel like I also have to be looking forward. Forward to how I can improve, how I can do more, how I can be more involved, etc. So commonly I look back and realize I didn't enjoy the moment I was in, and was trying to rush through li
fe. So just as this is a reminder to anyone who is reading this, it's a reminder to myself. Take a deep breath. Slow down. It'll all be okay.
I think that's all I have to say for right now - but I love you all and can't believe my sophomore year is already over! Roll tide forever - will be updating with my summer thoughts <3 Enjoy these fun photos from second semester.
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