This summer was definitely very special for me. I grew up. Where I am from, everyone knows everyone, so parents are able to keep a close eye on their children, which can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. Before college, I was very used to my parents being around for good times and bad, but that relationship completely changes in college. That’s not to say that they still are not around to celebrate good grades or help through an issue I may be facing, but it is not the same. My parents are not there in person with me anymore. That was one of the biggest adjustments I had to make. I can no longer walk downstairs from my bedroom and ask my mom or another family member to go do something with me.
That being said, this summer has definitely changed my family dynamic quite a bit. I do not know how it was for other families, but with mine, we were all kind of getting sick of each other, and that is a horrible thing to say, but when you have spent almost nineteen years with the same people, it is okay to get sick of them. So, summer session came at the perfect time. This was the first time I was genuinely able to really miss my family, and I appreciate them so much more now. I had no idea how good I had it until I got sick for the first time, had to start doing my own laundry, etc.
It is a massive change to go from living with your family for over a decade to living with someone you barely know. My family knows be better than anyone, so leaving my support system shook up my life for a while. I had to reestablish myself. This was the first time I was able to truly make decisions for myself. If I did not eat, no one was going to tell me to eat, if I did not go to class, no one was going to tell me to go to class. I became independent fast. It is one of the first things I learned about myself this summer… I am able to do things and make decisions on my own, and now that summer session is coming to a close, I can say that I was pretty successful.
There were many things that interfered with my routine I had at home. Specifically, all of the different things there were to do. It’s college, it’s overwhelming, there were parties, events, restaurants, etc. These were difficult to balance especially because my body was not used to the nonstop stress, I was putting it through. My typical day in the beginning of the summer session involved me getting out of class, taking a nap, getting some homework done, eating a little something, and then going out with friends. This is okay to do once and a while, but I was doing this almost every day. My body was tired, I was dehydrated and malnourished; so much so, that I became very ill.
This was one of my first challenges. I was sick five out of the six weeks I was here for summer session. So, on top of my illnesses, I had to balance homework and studying, and also keep up with the social aspect of college. It was not until I had three weeks left, I realized what I had done to my body and my mind. I was so sleep deprived, I was running on junk food, and I had not regularly exercised since I had been home. But finally, I decided it was time to get myself together, and get my life and body back on track. Of course, this first started with me going to the doctor because I needed some sort of medication to make me healthy again. The second thing I had to do was catch up on sleep. I started coming back from class and getting all of my work done right then, eat dinner, and go to bed. I did this for several days until I felt strong enough to be able to exercise. Once I started exercising, I saw such an improvement in my body, mindset and mood.
I have been an active person my whole life, I don’t know why I decided to change this when I got to PSU, but I know now that working out is mandatory for my health. It not only makes me feel good physically, but also mentally. When I was not exercising, I was not focused, I worried more, I was not my normal self. I knew what I had to change, and when I finally got myself back in the gym, it was the best decision I have ever made.
Now, with my last full week under my belt, I can proudly say, I finally developed a schedule that works for me. I try to get to bed by 12AM every night. I wake up at 9AM and eat a healthy breakfast. I go to class, and then eat a salad (but I make sure it’s enough to give me energy). Also, while I eat lunch, I usually watch some sort of TV show. To help me detach from the stresses of class. Then, I get some of my homework done, go to the gym, eat dinner, do more homework, go on a run, shower, and go to bed.
The biggest thing I can stress for anyone new student is to take care of yourself. Make sure you stay consistent with what you used to do at home as well. Just because you are at a brand-new school does not mean everything about you has to change. Keep yourself healthy, and everything will fall into place. This will be my mindset going into the fall semester. I will be putting myself first in all aspects. My health and education come first everything else will fall into place.