Moving out is a huge decision. It’s a milestone in life. Both scary and exciting, it’s something we all must do at some point. For me, that time came last August when I decided to move out of my parents’ house officially and begin renting with my boyfriend. For the first time in my life I had to think about money, creating a budget, doing all of my own housework, buying standard household supplies and food, and living in a whole other world than I had ever experienced.

Naturally, I was terrified. Not only would I be leaving the protected world that my parents had been providing since I was born, but I would also be taking the huge step of moving in with my significant other. By this point I had heard all the stories of couples realizing that they aren’t actually compatible once they have to deal with each other on a daily basis and everything coming crashing down all at once. Oscar and I had been together for two years, we’d gone through the stress of our senior year of high school and the shock of the transition to college. We both felt that we were ready, but we were about to put ourselves and each other to the test.

Now it’s the end of the semester, May of the following year. We’ve done it. We’ve survived without a horrendous amount of struggle and pain. It’s been rough at times, but overall I think we’re really coming into our own. With many of you going into the same or a similar position, I thought I’d share five nuggets of knowledge that I’ve gained since jumping into the adult world.

1. If You're Going to Make a Budget, Stick to It

At the beginning of my adult experience, I immediately tried to create a budget. I bought a cute little budget book from the craft store, I meticulously kept receipts for everything I purchased, I attempted to balance our earnings, the whole nine yards. After doing this for the first two months, I began noticing that my habits became less strict and my savings account was losing money. Keeping a budget is hard-- not only is it a lot of work but it’s also extremely hard to forsee every expense, to determine exactly how much you’ll spend on things like food, and when working a part time job it’s nearly impossible to predict what your paychecks will come out to be. In spite of all the difficulties of managing your funds, without some kind of plan you’ll end up spending way too much money on coffee and be scraping for rent at the end of the month. If you’re able to keep a budget, stick to it.

2. Don’t Get Behind On Housework

I get it, either you’re in college or you have a job and it seems as though you can never find any free time. When you do, you really need that extra minute to relax and take a moment for yourself. You ignore the laundry, the dishes, the bathroom that needs cleaning, the vacuuming, and cleaning out your car. Before you know it, the dishes are piling up and you have nothing left to pour a drink in, fast food bags are piling up in your room, Starbucks cups are taking over your car, and you have literally no underwear left. I only say this because all of these things have happened to me and it’s terrible. I get that you're busy, I get that you’re tired. But letting everything else go will only end up stressing you out even more. When you’re running around in the morning and you only have fifteen minutes to get ready, grab something for breakfast, and make yourself coffee, you’ll thank me for the reminder to get your stuff done.

3. Don’t Get Distracted By Everything Around You

So you’ve moved out. No more parents, no more rules right? Wrong. All wrong. It’s exactly this kind of thinking that leads to slacking off on housework and taking naps instead of writing that paper you know is due in two days. Self discipline is the most important factor of being an adult. You have to give up time, money, and sleep in order to assure that you’re actually going to get things done and survive in the land of the fully grown. I’m not sure about what you have or will have in your own place, but in my house I have a PS4, which means I have Netflix, Hulu, and video games. There’s also my Facebook addiction, the allure of the kitchen, and my ever-inviting bed that always looks better than my clothes-filled desk chair in the corner. There are a million things that can distract you in your living space, but now there’s no mom, dad, or guardian to yell at you to get off your ass and go do your work. It’s all you, and it is possible: you just have to find the right motivation.

4. Sleep In Whenever Possible

Just to play devil’s advocate here, it’s also of the utmost importance that you allow your body time to regenerate and get the proper amount of rest. During the week, I understand. There’s just not enough time in the day so that means staying up until two every morning and waking up again by eight at the latest. But on the weekends, take that extra hour or two of sleep. “Well I have work in the morning, unlike you, apparently," you may say. "I don’t have time to sleep in.” Then close your computer, turn off the TV, and put the books down an extra hour or two earlier on Friday night. I can guarantee you that it’ll make you much more productive the next day if you let your body rest just enough to build back your energy. Do the same thing Saturday night or Sunday morning, so come Sunday night you’re ready to go again. Sleep deprivation is one of the number one causes of chronic conditions such as anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches, chronic infections, migraines, stiff joints, and so on. GO TO SLEEP.

5. Get Out of the House

You have your own private place. A place where you can both walk around naked and veg out in front of the TV for hours on end. You have food (sometimes), water, a shower, and of course a bed. Why would you ever need to leave if you don’t have class? Well, because staying in one room or even one small space is unhealthy. Because if you stop exercising (walking or doing something other than going from the fridge to your bedroom) you WILL gain weight. A lot. And your pants won’t fit you anymore and you’ll get an In-N-Out addiction and you’ll cry every time you go get in the shower.

Uhm.

Anyways, getting out of the house is not just beneficial to your physical health in terms of exercise, sunlight, fresh air, and so forth, it’s also good for your mental health. Sometimes being in an enclosed space for long periods of time, whether it’s a classroom, your place of work, or your living space, it can make you feel overwhelmed and anxious. It makes you sit and contemplate the hours upon hours of work you still have to do without allowing you to actually be productive. Go. Get out for a little while and do something. Make a Target run, go to the grocery store and get some fresh fruit, just take a thirty minute walk. Do something that will allow you to focus on something besides whatever is stressing you out without losing touch with reality and your goals. After you do that, you’ll feel much better about sitting down at your desk to do a whole night’s worth of work.

Whether you choose to heed my advice or not, these are just a few of the many things that I’ve learned about being on your own and trying to enter the adult world. Being an adult doesn’t mean you have to be able to handle anything and everything, it just means you have to understand yourself and know that there will always be another day.