Spring is just around the corner, and Daylight Saving Time is already in gear.
I’ve always felt like the true start of the year is when spring begins. Winter withers away, and with no more grey skies and cold air, spring transitions into a completely different period.
However, only some see this as a win because spring is often associated with happiness, starting fresh, and sowing the seeds for what’s to come in your life. But many college students feel a great stagnation. They may be thinking, “Oh God. It’s spring, and I haven’t started my goals,” or even “Oh God. It’s spring, and my head is still in the past.”
Maybe you didn’t deal with the best set of cards this semester mentally and academically. With midterms finally wrapping up, grades and our spirits are getting harder to upkeep.
Some people are excited about the beginning of spring, but many others, including myself, can view this time as intense stress.
In my brain, the halfway point of the semester – aka midterms – means we are much closer to the end than the beginning. If we’re closer to the end of the semester, and I haven’t done anything impactful, then I’m not making much use of my time, am I?
I know a couple of people, including myself, who may have a similar thought process.
Entering college, we are all under the impression that these college years are the start of adulthood and we should be learning and evolving into well-adjusted individuals with zero flaws and mistakes. While that may appear true for some, for many, it can seem daunting to live up to the expectation we have in our heads.
People can develop imposter syndrome and believe they aren’t growing into the future businessperson, coder, artist, writer, or whatever they want to be. People often compare their success with others; to some, others’ accomplishments seem much more refined and sophisticated, thinking, “why haven’t I done anything like that?”
It’s important to understand that there is no rush. We are all entering our 20s together and will not all have it as figured out as we’d like to.
Challenges are made to make us stronger and more well-adjusted like we want to be when we’re older. If we continuously dwell on what we haven’t done, haven’t improved on, and on what happened in the past that we wish we could change, we can’t improve.
Spring is supposed to be a regenerative and playful time of the year when we can be mentally revived and get into the “fresh start” mindset. It’s the beginning of a new seasonal cycle; anything is possible from here.
Do you want to start a club? Do you want to apply for scholarships? Do you want to build healthier sleeping habits? Do it!
The time for anything you want to start is now; it doesn’t have to be some big, grand thing. It should be something that makes you feel fulfilled with how you spent the day.
If we continue to dwell on the past, we’ll never sow our seeds for today, leaving us with no crops in the future.
Living in the now is the best thing we can do for our mental health. Even if it feels like we aren’t “living”, everything counts, especially in school. In college, we’re all doing something for the betterment of our future.
Waking up is something. Going to class is something. Doing your homework is something. Working on your favorite hobby is something. Getting your education while feeling the growing pains of adulthood is something.
You’re not wasting your time; you’re a college student. Everything you’re doing now is for character development, and that isn’t useless at all.
Are you excited for spring to begin? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU