College student majoring in phycology at USC gives her perspective
What most teens often brush off is the looming months of Late July and August in summer, where they often feel as if everything is starting to come back again. As a former high school student, I remember how stressed I would become in late July because I realized that I only had a few more precious weeks of fun summer. To go back to school was always something that you had to dread. I never wanted to go shopping, never wanted to know my classes, and frankly did not want to hear the word school if I didn’t have too.
What I came to learn more about as I grew up is the fact that you really don’t need to be so anxious to go back to school. Yes, it sucks, and no one wants to do it. But instead learn to savor the last bits of summer you have left. Hang out with friends, strike a healthy balance in your life, and be present and in the moment. Until this realization, I had never really put much thought about what living in the moment meant.
For me, calming my nerves about the upcoming school year started with meditation. I had never been good at sitting still, but I forced myself to commit to 10 minutes of daily morning meditation for the last bit of summer. Here I would wake up, clear my mind, set my intentions, and work to be present and in the moment. By activating my brain to think like this I was able to start the day with a fresh perspective.
There are plenty of other ways to work towards living in the moment. Whether that’s different for you then meditation it just takes time to figure out. Perhaps it is leaving your phone in your room for a hour, reading a book, doing artwork, getting fresh air, in this scenario the sky is really the limit.
So take a deep breathe, reset your mind and go about the day with a positive mindset, time will work itself out, and you are simply along for the ride.
