I only have a few days left in my freshman year of college and I'm doing my best to enjoy them as much as I can. Actually, I shouldn't say enjoy, I should say appreciate. You only get one freshman year and mine is almost over.
We all learned from Andy Bernard on The Office, "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." Somehow, I know these are the good old days. And I want to take them all in while they are still here.
That all being said, I have learned a lot this past year. I want to take a moment to share what I have learned, in hopes that I can help someone else. Here is what my freshman year of college taught me:
1. Get out of your comfort zone.
If you know me, you probably know that I am shy and sometimes struggle to meet new people, but I knew that I wouldn't make friends in college if I didn't have some initiative. I made it my goal to say "hi" to everyone that I passed in my dorm. This may seem like a small and meaningless task to some people, but for me, saying "hello" to people I didn't know was very uncomfortable and, honestly, stressful. Nevertheless, I did it! I said "hey" to (almost) everyone I passed and I made a lot of friends that way. Even now, I still greet a lot of people I pass. If anything, this habit makes me feel like a nicer person.
Toward the end of the first semester, I became a little complacent. I was stuck and wasn't really doing anything new. As I was selecting my classes for the coming semester, I saw that a one-credit beginning ballet class was offered. I've always wanted to try ballet, but I never had the ambition to try it at home. I called my mom telling her about it and we concluded that all my excuses not to take it came down to the fact that I was scared of wearing a leotard (literally because I didn't want to wear one, but also figuratively; I was scared to be so exposed in a new environment). This realization pushed me to register for the class and wear a frickin leotard (which I found out later, I didn't actually have to wear). Taking ballet has been such a fun experience. I'm so glad that I did it, even though I was scared. Now, I am signed up for it next semester as well.
The moral of these two stories is that you never know where an experience will lead, so you might as well get over yourself and give it a try. You only need 20 seconds of courage.
2. Do something you've always wanted to do.
Before coming to college I always tried to "get fit." I would do workouts here and there, I played softball, but I just didn't work out as much as I wanted. When I did the workout, I felt more confident, more mentally healthy, and more productive. Coming to school I had access to a HUGE gym--300,000 square feet huge. For the first few months, I didn't go at all. The only time I ever set foot in a gym was when I was giving a tour (I'm a campus ambassador). Around November, I realized that I was just sad a lot. I felt self-conscious and lethargic all the time. My parents told me that I needed to go to the gym--I knew they were right.
But what would happen once I got there? What would I do? I had no idea what a "proper" workout was. I had always just done workout videos in my basement. Because I really wanted to do this, I asked my chiropractor for some workout routines and she helped me out. What next? I just did it. I was tired of my own excuses.
Since January, I have been the healthiest I have ever been in my entire life. Do I work out three hours a day and eat quinoa for every meal? No. I try to go to the gym five times a week, and I treat myself every now and again. But what I'm most proud of, is how I feel. Working out consistently has made me feel so much happier. As Elle Woods says, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands." Not that I was ever going to shoot anyone, but you get what I'm saying.
What are you supposed to get out of this story? Just stop thinking about doing something and do it. College is a whole new frontier. Make a new life for yourself!
3. Be kind to yourself.
I am so hard on myself. My natural instinct is to always find a flaw. And ya know what? That takes a lot of energy and we are all human. Cut yourself a break. If you sleep through a class, no biggie; there will be plenty more and your body obviously needed sleep. Accidentally eat an entire box of goldfish? Who hasn't? It's so easy to chastise yourself for things you have done, but it's not worth it.
In high school, I would cry and cry because I had too much going on and was thus overly stressed out. When I came to college, I didn't want to be like that anymore. I wanted to be free from the cage I had built myself. I still cry due to stress sometimes, but now don't get mad at myself for it. Continue to feed your brain self love and remember that you are the only you there is ever going to be. Own it!
Freshman year has been something. It was everything I ever imagined, yet nothing like I ever imagined. I'm glad I had the experience I did, though. Wherever you are in your life, I hope this advice makes an impact on you. It was for sure helpful for me.
Oh, and also, don't do laundry on Sundays.
