The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNH chapter.

As it would happen, I have only been 18 for six months. However, I feel as though navigating college has cemented my views on life, such as what I find important for myself or within friendships. And so, because I am so old and wise, here are 18 things I have learned at 18.

Prioritize alone time

I am lucky enough to have had a single dorm room throughout my two years at college, but my circumstances are not as common. I know plenty of people who have lived in a double or even a triple for a year or two now, and it does not matter how much you love your roommate(s), you will always need alone time. Allowing yourself time to be in solitude does not make you automatically lonely, but rather ensures that you can turn your social battery off and tap into your mind. Without the distraction of another person, you can fully process your day, emotions or memories and reflect in silence. Alone time relaxes your body, reducing stress while also increasing productivity. So, if you can, try to find some time in the day to be on your own in an empty space, even if it is for five minutes or a couple of hours.

Create a set morning and night routine

At night, I appreciate the time I have to wash off the day and do what I call “marinating.” Marinating is when your body is at peak hygiene, you have applied lotion and various skincare products, your hair is ready for tomorrow and you are all ready for bed. In the morning, I give myself about an hour to get ready and have a set routine. Having a concrete routine in the morning allows for less stress and general ease, knowing that you have enough time to do skin care, any hair and makeup, and pick out an outfit to feel ready and prepared for your day. Prioritize looking good to feel good.

Find a workout that works for you

The gym can be intimidating, and what is even more intimidating is the current popular fitness craze: heavy lifting. The first thing that is important to know, before even going to the gym, is what body type you are. Not whether or not you are an hourglass, but rather if you are an ectomorph, mesomorph or an endomorph. Determining which of these body types you are will help you determine what workouts will work best for you. As a mesomorph, I am prone to gaining or losing muscle generally quickly, encouraging me to stay in the gym to maintain my current figure. It is also important to take your height into account; as someone who is taller, my joints tend to hurt a lot more when I put immense amounts of pressure on them, versus someone who is shorter. All this is to say, rather than focusing on what the people around you or the people on social media are doing, listen to your body and find what works for you. Instead of focusing on heavy weights, I now enjoy cycling and Pilates workouts, while mixing in a couple of leg-focused lifting days. And, if you take anything from this, please make sure to stretch!

Focus on your gut health

On top of lifting heavy, I also ate my body weight in protein and consumed a lot of creatine and caffeine. Besides my joints hurting, my stomach was in constant pain, not being used to digesting such large amounts of food, vitamins and caffeine. While this may work for some people, I began to realize that this diet was not for me. Now, I eat two to three times a day, prioritizing smaller amounts of protein while enjoying fruits and veggies. I also allow myself to drink coffee but try to avoid drinks that will send me over 400 milligrams of caffeine consumption. I try to consume a bit of dairy and gluten each day as well, as avoiding it for a couple of weeks will cause me to grow more sensitive to it.

Make sure you take your vitamins! Not just one daily vitamin that you found at Rite-Aid but take time to research what you think you may need to help your body feel healthier. I take quercetin, iron and magnesium, as well as probiotics to ensure that my body and gut are protected and have consistent aid throughout the colder months.

Drink water

I know, I know, you have heard this hundreds of times, but there is a reason for it. Beyond the classic reason of having clearer skin, drinking water is one of the best things you can do for your body. I have noticed that increasing my consumption of water has allowed my body to digest and absorb foods better, increase mental clarity and mood and fight off illness and sleepless nights. Ensure that you drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, which is two Hydroflasks for me, and grab a glass of water at each meal.

Having a “reset” day

On top of having a daily routine of small tasks I do to keep my body at its best, I also have one night a week that I set aside to catch up. For me (and most people) it’s Sundays. Every Sunday I deep clean my room, do my laundry (including my sheets) and take the holy “everything shower.” Being able to set yourself up for the week will make you feel calmer and more relaxed. Who wants to study for an exam in a messy room? There’s an old saying that goes “Clear space, clear mind,” and it rings true. If I don’t clean my room, I notice that I am more irritable due to my space not being how I want it to be.

Pick up reading

I don’t know many people who actively read, but there is a distinct difference between people who do and those who do not. For example, someone who reads a lot is better at noticing people’s emotions and knows how to react to certain situations, due to the fact that they have probably read an exact situation in a book and have seen how it played out for the character. Reading not only lets you relax and spark your imagination, but it also guides you throughout your life. By learning and falling in love with or hating certain characters, you gain a new insight into how you view people and how different situations can form and resolve. Reading also improves your vocabulary. It seems like a small feat, but having an expansive vocabulary helps in multiple situations. Whether it be writing an essay or a networking night, your diction is incredibly important in creating an image of how academically driven you are.

Choose your music carefully

Over the summer, I listened to a lot of rap music. Rap is not in any way bad music, but how you notice you consume it can be detrimental. Depending upon who you are as a person, you may find yourself acting out more, being angrier and certainly using derogatory terms more frequently (according to scientific studies). In the same way, music with a more depressing tone can affect your entire day. Music holds so much power, within the lyrics and the instruments used, it constructs an idea, and it can affect who you are. I advise you to be careful in your consumption and enjoy the music for simply being art, but if you notice it changing how you act, steer clear.

Know your personality type

Similarly to people wanting to know about their zodiac signs, I find personality types very interesting. By taking an MBTI test online, I learned that my personality type is INFJ, meaning I am logical and value deep connections but also need alone time. Besides just being a fun way to spend 20 minutes, learning who you are as a person helps define your strengths and weaknesses, as well as understanding how you process your emotions and situations. There are billions of people in the world, but no one will think about a situation in the exact same way you do, so by gaining knowledge of why you think or act a certain way, you gain coherence for your actions.

Enjoy learning

In today’s society, it is easy to take college for granted. With AI tools such as ChatGPT and search engines like Google at our fingertips, finding information has never been easier. It should go without saying, but there is value in learning. Rather than jotting down every point in a professor’s PowerPoint, I encourage you to sit and listen, writing down occasional notes that you find valuable. By allowing yourself to breathe for a moment and just absorb what your teacher is saying, you will gain an understanding of things that you could never by just searching for an answer online. For example, I currently take an astronomy class and, when walking around campus at night, I find myself pointing out asterisms and constellations, and providing stories to my friends in a genuine tone. Learning and being able to understand the world around you is a talent that not many people can hold, so be one of those people.

Podcasts, documentaries, Ted Talks

On top of sitting in your classes and attempting to legitimately learn, I also encourage you to seek knowledge. Listening to podcasts or watching documentaries and Ted Talks broadens your horizons of a variety of events. Whether it may be a simple podcast about a funny story or a documentary about a tragic event, giving yourself the chance to view a situation and laugh or cry is incredible for personal growth.

Politics, religions, philosophies

The thing that’s weird about turning 18 is that you gain the title of an “adult.” Sure, I don’t have a 401k and I know next to nothing about taxes, but that doesn’t mean that I should still act like a child. Research politics, look at both sides and determine which best suits your core values. Sit and think about the world as a whole; does it make more sense for the Big Bang to happen, or is there some higher power? What are your views on different ethical matters, and how can you, civilly, argue for those? In doing so, you solidify who you are as a person, and it forces you to dig deeper into who you really are and what you will believe in and, ultimately, fight for.

Think with your mind, not your heart

One of the treasures of being a woman is your empathy — being able to perceive different situations and have an understanding of the adapting environment surrounding you. However, I have found that it is better to live your life through logic and not emotion. Having a true heart will always hold value, allowing you to help those around you as well as yourself, but make sure that you keep logic at the forefront of your decisions. In doing so, I have been able to make quick decisions about social situations and relationships with a more calculated sense, rather than a fast-paced spiral that leads to a disastrous situation.

Understand your emotions

In contrast, there is an immeasurable amount of merit to your emotions. I absolutely hate it when my friends say, “I’m probably just upset because I’m on my period,” because it lessens what you are feeling. I always encourage my friends to understand that, yes, they may be more upset about something because they are on their period, but that does not mean that what they are feeling is wrong. Your emotions are valid, whether angry or sad or dramatic, you are feeling that way for a reason and you should allow yourself to regardless of your cycle.

Find your family

I am lucky enough to be blessed with a continuously solid relationship with my parents, and it was not without hard work on both sides. Going into college, you gain a whole new sense of freedom, and creating a friendship with your family is entirely up to you. I constantly remind myself that this is my parents’ first time living too, meaning that they are human just like you, they embarrass you like you embarrass your friends and they find themselves cringing at your decisions, but they will also be there to hold you when you cry. There is so much beauty in going home and feeling truly at home. Cherish the time and the relationship you have, while also understanding that we all make mistakes.

However, some people are not as blessed. I cannot speak from experience about having a rough relationship with your parents, but I can offer a bit of advice, that being to find friends that feel like home. You can have hundreds of friends that you love, but there are only a few that truly are home to you. One of those friends of mine is Emma — she jokes, she makes witty insults, but, most importantly, she listens. She offers advice with a sense of clarity and almost maternal instinct that is hard to find within just any person. She is my home away from home, and although you may not have a friend like that now, chance has a funny way of letting people like her into your life.

Don’t “do it for the plot”

If there is one thing that 2023 has taught me, it’s that, shockingly, my actions do have consequences. A phrase went viral on social media a little bit ago: “Do it for the plot.” Doing it “for the plot” is, unfortunately, just an excuse to act on impulsive behavior with little thought process. Instead of saying things you maybe shouldn’t or seeing someone you definitely shouldn’t, take a moment to reflect on how this could alter your future or your reputation. I have had multiple instances when I haven’t quite thought about my actions before following through with them, and while I enjoy telling the stories now, it was horrid having to live through the moment at the time. I am 100% not saying to never take chances or to never do anything spontaneous, because that would go against every fiber of my being, but rather think quickly and strategically before following through. Word travels quickly — think of what you want those words to be.

“I deserve what I seek”

For me, this saying revolves around the career and academic aspects of my life. I have applied for jobs and positions that I never thought I could get in my wildest dreams. It might be something simple like a TA position, or an internship at a prestigious company, but I urge you to always try. By creating the mindset of “whatever I deserve, will find me” you will gain a new sense of confidence going forward into the career world. If I do not get a position, I know that it was not meant for me, and I try to avoid deprecating my self-worth because I did not earn it. However, you will find that you will have a lot of success and not by luck, but because you do deserve it. By putting time, research and effort into what you want, you will be rewarded in one way or another.

Make your bed

Lastly, make your bed.

A couple of months ago, Olivia Rodrigo released her second album Guts. One of her songs was titled “Making the Bed” and, admittedly, when I first listened to it, I didn’t understand what she meant. Fast forward to a couple of weeks later, to late September, I was really struggling. Going against my own advice, I listened to sad music. However, in doing so, I finally understood what she was talking about. Making your bed is a metaphor used for creating your environment. While I make my bed every morning, I also am the creator of my life. I allow myself to have friendships while pulling back from others, I say things that I shouldn’t and things that I am proud of and I chase after opportunities or deny myself to even taunt the thought. Making the bed can either destroy you or lift you out of dark moments. Make sure that your bed is filled with what you want it to be filled with, pillows of fond memories, blankets of love and a firm mattress to act as your foundation for your future. It’s sad but true that this is our only life, and it is so short, so curate it to be whatever you seek and deserve.

Make Your Bed: 18 Things I Learned At 18

We wanna slide into your DMs