Dear Bold readers,
It was my senior of year college and I was ready to go into the real world. I was so excited. I had everything planned out, where I would go to work, where I would live and even who I would live with. Then COVID-19 hit and I ended up graduating virtually, over YouTube. Don’t get me wrong the ceremony was amazing, but it just wasn’t the same and I was devastated to say the least. Everything I worked hard for and planned out over the past four years at CU was instantly taken away from me and I felt lost. What do I do now? Where do I go from here? Who am I going to be? What is going to happen to me?
When COVID-19 hit, I ended up moving back in with my parents. It wasn’t all that bad, I got home cooked meals, but I did miss my freedom. During quarantine at home I did a lot of thinking. I thought about my life if Covid-19 never happened and where I would be at that very moment if I wasn’t stuck in quarantine. This caused a lot of anxiety, so, to cope with my anxiety I did breathing exercises and tried to distract myself with reading or playing on my switch.
Everything in my life up to that moment was planned out for me. I have never gone through life without a plan and triggered my anxiety; I was scared. It was the unknown that frightened me and made me despise everything around me. However, it was a blessing in disguise. You see, having your life planned out is great and all, but at the end of the day it’s a little boring and not adventurous. If you are the type of person that plans out their entire day and even their entire life, Covid-19 probably shifted your mindset and you felt like you lost control of your life. But I am here to tell you that you can take that control back one small step at a time. By adapting to this new life and accepting that you can’t plan so far in advance can make you more adventurous and make you see the other side of the spectrum: the go with the flow mindset.
Over the past several months, I have vowed to work on prior habits and go with the flow. Life is unpredictable and it is great to have some things planned out, but not your whole life. This isn’t meant to scare you, but to encourage you to take a step back, breathe and start fresh with your future plans. What was helpful for me was shortening my timeline… just start with one day at a time and then when you feel comfortable with that expand week to week and so on. After all living through a pandemic has taught me life can change within a blink of an eye. Short-term planning has really changed my life and inspired me to think more about my nearing career path and what I am going to do when the world gets back to some normalcy. For now just go with the flow, live in the moment and don’t plan so far ahead. It is important to remember the moments we share with friends and family more than ever before. It is perfectly fine to not plan your whole life out. Try just one thing at a time and I promise you will be happier for it.
Sincerely,
A CU Graduate of May 2020
