Last semester seemed pretty rough for just about everyone. Balancing classes, jobs, clubs, a social life, and still caring for yourself just gets more and more overwhelming every year. We are heading into a new semester in a new year and a new decade, so let's go into this one as strong as we can.

I don't really believe in the whole "new year, new me" ideal because realistically we shouldn't need a specific marker to start taking care of ourselves. Why can't we decide on any random day of the week that we are going to make a change in order to improve ourselves? Not every change has to be something major. Maybe drink one less coffee every week or make it to the gym one extra day.

A friend of mine decided she needed to love herself a little more so mid-week she started naming one thing she loved about herself or was proud of accomplishing that day before going to bed, and I think that's a beautiful idea. I personally have a tendency to convince myself that I'm not going to pass my classes and my goals are impossible even when I'm actually doing just fine. I know that's super unhealthy but I'm sure I'm not the only one that does that.

Last semester I let that mentality really destroy me, but once I decided to make a change I really started thriving. I woke up one day and thought to myself "succeeding will be so much harder if you keep thinking like this... so what are you going to do about it?" and I decided to start reaching out to friends and professors for help. Once I put my mind to it, I raised almost all of my grades and got the GPA I needed to apply for nursing. I even got a 93% on my Microbiology final! I couldn't believe it, I started the semester failing that class!

That was definitely an eye-opening moment for me and it has left me feeling prepared and motivated for the upcoming spring semester. This semester may be my busiest yet, but it always seems to feel like that at the start of a semester. I really surprised myself last semester by making little changes every day and staying positive about what I am capable of.

It is much easier said than done, but I encourage all of you to give it a try this semester. Find one thing in your life that you feel is unhealthy, you want to fix, or could be improved, and when you are ready, make the decision to change and do it. Meet a friend for lunch once a month, spend an extra hour in the library, eat eggs instead of sugary cereal for breakfast--- whatever you need to do to feel good this semester. Life is not going to slow down for you.

All we can do is make the best of it and go into it with a positive attitude. It is going to feel overwhelming some days, but remember that you can do it. There are a lot of things in life that you probably never thought you would be able to do, yet here you are. If there's one thing I learned last semester, it's that nothing is impossible if you keep telling yourself that it is possible, as cliché as that sounds. I plan to keep that mentality going into this spring semester and I hope you do too!

Trust yourself and your abilities and you will succeed. Keep a "go get 'em" attitude and unwavering confidence. Good luck to you all!