10 Things I Learned Freshman Year

1. You determine your own happiness

2. This is the saddest you'll feel, but you are never alone

3. If something doesn't feel right then change it. No one cares

4. Not all people are meant to stay in our lives

5. Nothing is that serious

6. Effective communication is SO important

7. Do not make yourself smaller for people. Be you and take up lots of space

8. To go with that, not everyone is rooting for you and that's fine

9. Always be kinder than you feel

10. And most importantly, you will be okay

Having this blog space to be vulnerable is probably something I will continue to do for myself. This year has been a crazy journey, but I'm beyond grateful for the experiences I've had along the way. 1 year down, 3 more to go :)

Life Update

 I do not know why every class I'm in decided now is the time to squeeze everything in. The amount of last minute projects I have is insane. I feel like I'm frequently talking about how hard it is for me to stay motivated, but it really has been such a struggle for me this semester. I feel like moving home was a blessing and curse because love being able to work, but I feel like I'm missing out on the social aspect of college. I definitely have the time to prioritize whatever I want, but I always think about how different it would be if I never moved home. While I do love time to myself, I also thrive off of my relationships with other people. I am really looking forward to summer. I love school, but I just need time away from all the stress.

Thoughts on the Rational Argument

 This is easily the hardest paper for me to write. I have a lot of big ideas in my head that I would love to write about, but I can only pick one. I submitted my first draft, however I think I need to change my topic. Researching has been really difficult, and I have found myself doing a lot of cherry picking. Originally, I wanted to write about teachers being paid more, but I caught myself choosing sides. It was really tricky for me to find evidence to support both sides, and I have strong opinions towards this topic. Writing my rational argument essay has been so challenging and frustrating. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Gratitude!

This weekend I went to Purdue to visit my boyfriend, and every time I go, I always come back more grateful for my relationship. As hard as it is being away from my best friend, I think it's really cool to watch how being apart has changed us for the better. Facetime and snapchat become a lot more special Our time together is valued even more. We've figured out how to effectively communicate in ways that work for each other; the list goes on. Most importantly, I've learned that good things do require effort. Nothing about doing long distance has been easy, but it is 110% worth it. I'm very grateful to be with someone who is supportive of my goals and actually cares about them. Someone who is patient. kind, and isn't afraid to be vulnerable. Someone who makes me feel loved and doesn't make me question it. I believe everyone deserves to know they are loved. I could go on forever about how everyone deserves someone like my boyfriend.

It's almost the end of freshman year meaning we've done almost a year of long distance, and I couldn't be more proud of us. If someone would have told sixteen year old me I would be doing long distance in college, I would have laughed. 

Stutz Reflection

This film immediately reminded me of the song Mirrorball by Taylor Swift. I attached some of the lyrics to the side. I loved watching Stutz.  Therapist Phil Stutz had valuable life lessons that I think many college students are beginning to understand. My favorite words of advice in the film was, "Stay on track... love the process." In times of negativity, I often find it hard to keep moving forward without shutting down in some way. However, I think this quote is so valuable and relatable to many students and adults. At this point in our lives, we have all been through a different set of events that has shaped us to be the people we are. While telling people to love the process is a lot easier said than done, it is crucial to appreciate every step along the way. Stutz brings up that we need negativity or else we don't grow. Again, another relevant piece of advice. I invite you to reflect and apply this to your own life.

My Thoughts on Freewriting

I've never had a writing teacher open class with a free write, but personally, I have found it really beneficial. As a person with a lot of thoughts at all times, free writing has been an easy outlet for me to get my thoughts out, especially before having to focus. I think if teachers gave students some time to unwind a little before class, they may find their students can focus longer. However, I do understand that time in class is limited. 

I have found that a lot of my writing starts off with me spitting out every thought I have, and towards the end I make lists of things I have to do with pictures. I consider myself pretty good at time management, but I do stress myself out for no reason. Having time to plan out my day has allowed me to have a stronger sense of control over the workload I have. One of my favorite free writes was the day we wrote for ten minutes. The first five minutes were free, and the second five minutes we followed a topic. This allowed me to still have time to get my thoughts out, but after, I had time to get ready to start concentrating on class. I liked the way that following a topic made me think. I wish we had more free writes that followed the ten minute format.

Spring Break

My boyfriend's spring break falls on the same week as ours, so I was really happy about that. We get to spend a lot of time together, which is really important to me. Having a small family has allowed me to deeply value my close relationships with others. I've always preferred small groups of people that I am genuinely close with or being one on one. I'm just a lot more comfortable around less people than I am large groups.

Although I don't have any specific plans, I'm most looking forward to having a break. It has been such a long semester, and we all deserve time off. I'm hoping that when I come back I feel refreshed because I cannot pump out another 5 weeks with the stress levels I'm working off of right now.