It's been officially one month since I began "adulting."
Work-life balance becomes your greatest priority.
When you get your first full time job, you'll go through the introduction process, and it may or may not be a lot to handle. Perhaps it's something in your field, or something you've never done before. One of the lessons I've learned is that balancing your life so that you give equal time to your work and your personal life is very important. You don't want to burn yourself out, and you don't want to slack off, or bring drama into the office. It's fun and exciting starting a new chapter in your life, but it's important to also not scare away your co-workers with your dance moves....yet.
Appreciate your down time.
I don't think I've ever been more appreciative of my alone time now that I'm adulting. I have a long commute, and while the milage sucks, and I risk my life everyday with idiotic drivers, it's nice to just turn up the radio and not have to worry about life. And your down time is how you want to spend it. No more practice, group projects, odd-end campus jobs with weird hours- I watched Netflix again after two years, and it has been glorious divulging in TV shows without having to worry about juggling school, a sport, jobs and internships.
Making time for your dreams falls on you.
This has been something I've enjoyed struggling with. Now that I'm out of college, it really falls on my shoulders to go out and make my dreams a reality. No more college professors handing you opportunities- this is the big leagues. If you don't put the work in, you're not going to end up at your dream destination. Since I graduated, I've had time to dedicate some time to photography, and this is a totally harmless plug to go to my photography page and look at my recent work because honestly you need this kind of beauty in your life. Click on the picture :)
Going to bed before midnight is a very smart and realistic choice.
This is probably my favorite part of my new adult life: the amount of sleep I actually get in a night. In college, my going to bed early was midnight. Now, I'm in bed by 10 pm, sometimes even earlier. You don't want to spend an entire day at work feeling groggy and tired, so putting your sleep schedule as a priority is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Eating healthier is a journey.
For someone who lived with a meal plan for majority of my college career, my cooking skills have been a little rusty. But the great thing is that there are so many recipes to try and you actually have the time to cook and enjoy your meal. And you don't have limited options like you did in the cafeteria, you can buy the food you want, and I suggest healthy options as the way to go. When you put clean food into your body, you really do feel better and have more energy. With, of course, the occasional (weekly?) ice cream treat.
So is working out.
With my hectic work schedule, and my exhaustion level at an all time high, I wasn't working out as often as I was used to. But as I began making it a priority to go, it was my time at the gym that helped me relieve stress and release endorphins. Whatever you like to do to work out, whether it's cardio, weightlifting, yoga, or classes, I think it's a great idea to invest some of your time into your body. Having a healthy routine is vital to have as you start your adult life, because it helps you build good habits as you get older. So go get that gym membership, and make exercising a priority. You've got that five year class reunion and wedding season coming up soon.
Most importantly, you realize who your "people" actually are.
I've had a roller coaster of emotions when it comes to the people in my life. On one hand, I miss college a lot. I miss seeing everyone I went to school with everyday. Then again, I really don't miss it. I don't have to see the people I can't stand. Outside of college, you begin to put in effort to the people you want to see. And that's hard to do when you're used to casually seeing people around campus a couple times a week. I've had to put more effort into friendships than I'm used to, but I think it's a great thing. You get to see who really is there for you.
