Becoming a teenager and living through the entire experience of puberty and young adulthood is a struggle. There's a lot on your mind about how to fit in, making friends that you can keep, and finding what you want to do with life after high school. Everyone has different opportunities at their disposal and those come up at different times of our lives, but regardless, we all go through the process of independence and taking on the responsibilities of doing things for and taking care of ourselves.
1. Budget your money.
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For me, working 2 part-time jobs as a full-time college student sometimes doesn't cut it when bills surface each month. I'm talking about car payments, rent, utilities, credit card or student debt payments, and that's not including anything that I need for myself like food, gas, etc. A tip as a college student or just as anyone facing these financial challenges is to take a portion of each paycheck and set it aside in a savings account. Not only does this help to accumulate more money in the savings account the longer that the money sits in it for, but it also can act as an emergency fund at any given time. Not all emergencies warrant using every last penny either, so just be conscious of that.
2. Self-Care Matters!
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I didn't realize how important it is to take time for myself until I started working myself to my last breaths, not eating properly and not drinking enough water. The hard work we all put forth every day is worthwhile, but when you get home or when you have time tp, it is essential that you care for yourself, your body, your skin, your mental health, and your physical well-being. For every 3-4 bad days, there are 1-2 good days. It's not a proper balance by any means, but it's how life can be for some people like myself. It all depends on the situations we put ourselves into and how we deal with what we're faced with.
Regardless of this, it's important to nourish yourself and to look out for yourself over others often. Make sure you're taken care of before taking care of others. This isn't always the case, but it should be.
3. Stay organized, no matter what it takes.
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By this, I mean make lists. On those lists, put on them everything that you need to accomplish today, this week, this month, or within the next few hours. This is a top-notch way to keep yourself orderly when it comes to getting stuff done that needs doing. These can be things like cleaning or tidying your living space, paying your bills so you don't fall behind, getting any schoolwork done that's due soon, grocery shopping, or anything of the sort. This is something I've found that helps me stay accountable for myself and for my living space. It's what helps me remember what to take care of and what all I'm responsible for living on my own and not having my parents help to do everything.
This is a huge part of growing up and this is the part that can become difficult for lots of people. If you're a student in high school or college, living on your own and taking care of yourself, it can be really tempting to drop everything and to give up completely. As often as I've had this thought, I keep pushing because I know that "no" is not an option. By saying no, not only would I be giving up, but I'd be letting myself and my family down. There is no such thing as trying hard enough; every time, we can always do better. That's why we learn and move on.
Life as a whole is a true gift. Not enough people have the opportunities that I have to go to college, to live alone, to work and live in a busy city and to enjoy what it has to offer. While I can't say that I didn't have to work really hard to get here, there are also people who work really hard and still can't have what I have.
As we grow up into adults, it becomes easier to realize what we have to do for ourselves so that we're taken care of, have roofs over our heads and food to feed ourselves. We might also start families someday and we'll need to know how to care for them as well. Even our parents who often help us to get where we are and stand as huge support systems also deserve all of our thanks and even our repayment in certain ways. Life's a challenge, but we take it on every day by waking up and getting out of bed, tackling our day, and coming home to do it again.
You've got this.
