Leaving college for the summer, after my first year, was incredibly hard for me. My last night on campus I cried to my friends about how scared I was to return home, and how much I would miss everything and everyone there. Don’t get me wrong, I was still excited to spend time with my family and my friends from back home, but the way I saw it, being at Oxy represent moving forward for me, and being in Idaho was standing still, if not going backwards.

Though it began as a struggle, here’s how I got myself back to a good place:

I kept myself busy.

I got a job within my first week home and made sure I was working as many hours a week as I could. As much as I would have loved a relaxing, care-free summer, I knew that if I didn’t keep my days busy, then I would have too much time to think about the ~stillness~ of my situation. Not to mention, working gives the benefit of making money.

I made new friends.

While still prioritizing the friends I was so excited to return home to, I made sure that I was putting my best foot forward in interactions with new people. If it weren’t for the new friends I made and spent time with this summer, I think that I would have reverted back to my high school self. By continuing to make new friends, I allowed myself to remain the version of myself that I have worked hard to grow into.

I didn’t let myself sit still.

Beyond keeping myself busy with work, I knew that I would need to make plans for my days off. I saw my friends as much as I could, I pushed myself to stay out late even when I was tired and I remained positive and strong through harder moments. I made sure to still give myself alone time for my sanity, but did so through walks, shopping trips and trying out new recipes, rather than sitting in my room binge-watching Netflix.

I said yes to everything.

Being open to new opportunities was a huge part of keeping myself content this summer. I knew that I would regret turning down new experiences. I am so much happier because of the memories I’ve made, the adventures I had and the stories I now have from this summer.

To some extent, I think returning home won’t ever feel like progress; it will always feel like a pause on my life, or like a vacation from the real world. In all honesty, the initial transition was pretty difficult for me. I spent a lot of time missing my friends from school, counting the days until I could go back. Shortly thereafter I realized that dwelling wasn’t constructive. I was going to be home for the next three months, and I learned to accept the feeling of being stationary and to make the most of my summer. I am glad that I chose to remain positive this summer and give myself the chance to have the great times that I did.