Health Column: Priorities

While college students have somewhere between 18-25 years of life experience under our belt, we are far from reaching our maximum potential. It’s easy to get caught up in daily routines, drama and news. As young adults, it’s our job to be under the impression that we know everything. But there is so much we still have to learn and so many things, people and experiences in life that we can learn from. It’s important to be conscious of this so we can identify these opportunities and seize them.

Self reflection is a way we can look into the past, analyze ourselves and gauge our growth. When I reflect on high school, I can’t help but think, “If only you knew back then what you know now; some things would have been so much easier.”

Just as my current self reflects onto my past self, I know that my future self will reflect on my present self. It’s an odd thing to consider, but a question we can all benefit from asking ourselves is, “What will my future self have to say about my current self?” Will I reflect on the time I wasted, or on the time I spent getting things done?

Now, surprisingly, is an “easy” time in life. While it’s a struggle to maintain a job, commute, study, complete assignments and also maintain some level of sanity, most of us don’t have to juggle the heavy stressors such as spouses, children, mortgages and full time jobs.

It’s important to put things into perspective and know that it may sometimes be better to stay in on a Friday night to finish an assignment, or research things that can lead to future success, especially when you know you have work all weekend.

As young people we often feel like it’s the end of the world when we miss out on something – the “fear of missing out.” We worry about the people we would have met, the conversations we would have had and the food we would have eaten. However, we forget that we have the rest of our lives to meet people and have exciting experiences.

If we plan and prepare for our futures now, then once we get there, provided we end up working in a field that brings us joy, we will have the freedom to go out, express ourselves and live the life we’ve always envisioned.

Editor’s Note: The Pioneer is not responsible for giving medical advice. Please refer to a
medical professional for serious concerns regarding personal health.