The beginning of a new semester is always rough, especially after coming off a long break. At Bowling Green State University, our winter break is six weeks long and it can be a challenge settling back into the swing of college life. However, there are always positives that you can turn to as you struggle to gain back your academic motivation. For some, this motivation comes from being reunited with friends, or seeing some of your favorite professors again. For others, the idea of returning to a place where you can express yourself without fear of familial intervention is enough to push them to hit the books. Other people are simply motivated by the independence they regain when they move back to their college or university. Of course, there are other ways to regain this motivation and prepare yourself for a new semester and they may be a bit more difficult to discover.
This semester is my last semester as an undergraduate here at Bowling Green State University, and the senioritis is hitting hard. On top of worrying about what I’m going to do after graduation, I’m also planning my wedding and moving out of my childhood home. There’s a lot going on in my life right now, and naturally that’s led to increased levels of anxiety. So, how do I alleviate this anxiety and regain my academic motivation? I may have just found the key in a foster cat named Ryker. I have a few friends on campus who have Emotions Support Animals (ESAs) and after talking to them about the pros and cons of having one for myself, I realized that having something that is somewhat helpless rely on me to take care of it would motivate me to take better care of myself. So, after going back and forth between humane society websites and reading the blogs of people fostering animals, I found Ryker. Ryker is a two-year-old, long-haired calico. She was named after the little boy that found her at four weeks old and her foster mama told me that she’s sweet and playful. Of course, Ryker isn’t perfect. When she was found she was incredibly sick and ended up losing one of her eyes to infection. Now, to ensure that she doesn’t lose her other eye, she receives eyedrops every day. Upon finding her profile and reading about her, I was instantly enamored. I sent a picture of Ryker’s adoption profile to my fiancé (who isn’t fond of cats but is fond enough of me to warrant a will to live with one). We both agreed that she was cute.
Now, I had done stuff like this before. I would find a photo of an adoptable animal, send it to my friends and fiancé, and we would all agree that said animal was perfect for me. However, nothing really ever came of it. I would lose that sense of compassion and love I felt for the animal by the next morning. Ryker though, was different. The day after I initially showed her photo to my fiancé, I woke up thinking about her. Throughout the day I would check on her profile to see if she was still available for adoption. The following day, I did the same. And the day after, too. I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that Ryker was the cat for me. So, after filling out ESA paperwork with my landlord, and talking to my family physician, I received my ESA prescription and e-mailed Ryker’s foster mama. She called me, and we set up a time for me to meet Ryker and bring her to her forever home. Ryker is already my saving grace, and I am so grateful I was able to find her.
Of course, not everyone will find their motivation the way I did. In fact, it’s fairly unlikely, especially if you live in a dorm. But don’t give up trying to find out what your motivation may be. Finish out this school year strong, and search for that motivation without doubt.