Hey lovely reader! It seems like forever since I've done a post but as you read in my
last post, I've been a bit busy. However, I've got some time now, so I figured I'd put this post together. Throughout my weeks here I've been making a list of things to share with you. So whether you're new to it all like me, an old pro at this whole college thing or neither of the two, enjoy!
1. There really is ALWAYS something going on
This is so true! Now, before I got here people would always say "Oh there's tons of things going on all the time!" and give you the speech about how you have all this free time in college to do fun things and I was like, ya ok. But it's actually true. Almost everyday there's a different type of fair, or after dark event, even free outdoor movies. I've gone to a bunch of them which is something I normally wouldn't do, but I have and I'm glad I did. If I can go out to these things and enjoy them you can too. Now that doesn't mean you have to stay the whole time, which I think is one thing that has helped me. Before I wouldn't want to go to things because I'd be afraid I wouldn't like it and then be trapped there, and that whole thought process made me quite anxious. But in college it's not like that at all. You can go and check it out and if you like it, stay, if you don't, you can leave. I would really encourage you to just give things a try. That can be applied to anything in life really and it's something I'm trying to work on.
2. Planners are key
This is a big one. It is so necessary to be organized! When you get your syllabus, go through, a month or two at a time and write down all the due dates that the teacher gives you. It will keep you on track because not all of the teachers are going to be constantly reminding you that there's a paper due tomorrow or your exam is next week. It can alleviate a lot of stress to know that you've got it down.
3. Calm is Contagious
This may seem kind of random but let me explain. Last summer I saw a man give a speech and in it he talked about this phrase "Calm is Contagious". It basically means what is says, if you're calm in situations, the people around you are going to feed off of that. Personally, I think this is one of the reasons I've done so well so far with being away from home and my "normal". The people who I've met and have become friends with are calm. They aren't crying or talking about how homesick they are, so in turn I don't think about it either. When building new friendships, surround yourself with people who make you feel at ease.
4. You get to make your own decisions (go with your gut)
This one is pretty self explanatory, but trust your intuition. If you don't feel comfortable doing something then don't do it. It's okay to say "Hey this isn't really for me". I've done that a couple of times now just with simple situations like signing up for clubs. I went with my friend and she wanted to join a club that I really wasn't into, I had told her that I would go to the meeting with her just to check it out but the more I thought about it the more anxious I began to feel. So instead of going and feeling anxious, I just said she could go and I'd wait for her. No harm done! That's another thing that kind of goes along with this is to be yourself when meeting knew people. It can be kind of tricky at first because you may be worried of what people will think of you if you do or don't do something, when in reality the other person probably won't think anything of it. I was going to try to go along with my new friend to make her happy but the more I thought about it, I knew it just wasn't me. So I told her that and she was fine with it. So be yourself and everything will be fine!
5. Getting involved is good
This last one is a bit ironic for me to be saying because if you knew me about two years ago you'd know that I was never the person preaching about getting involved. I'm an introvert so putting myself out there isn't always my first choice, but the last year or so I have done a lot and definitely been more involved in things than ever and it's been really good. So when I came to college I knew there where tons of ways to get involved but I had no idea what I would do. Luckily the girl that I have become pretty close with, is massively into getting involved and we've signed up for two or three different organizations and clubs already. I'm excited because it's stuff I want to do and am interested in. We found out about them through flyers around campus and emails. Most schools also have a website that has all of the clubs on it, some even divided by interest. I think this is also one of the reasons that I've done so well being away. I've kept busy! I don't have time to sit and think about missing home, I'm focused on what I get to do and the cool things that the clubs have planned.
I realize this was a bit of a soap box post but as I've said before, for me it helps to read things from other people and be able to relate or feel inspired so hopefully you do too.
Do you have any tips you would add to this list? Xx
