After leaving school almost three months ago, I had a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't stand the thought of being at college for one more minute. I knew from the moment I left how badly I needed this break. My last two months of school I went through what many would call a "rough patch." I essentially had my move out date circled in my planner. And when the day finally came, it felt as if a weight was being lifted off my shoulders.

When I came home from my vacation, I did a lot of self-reflecting on this past year. I knew that this summer would be my time for growth and repair. And it was. This break was exactly what I needed to pick up the pieces of myself that had fallen off in those two months.

I know I'm making it sound like it was the worst year of my life but it wasn't. I just didn't feel like my best self. I had turned into someone with a more negative outlook on life which was very out of character for me. But I knew that this summer would be just what I needed to get back on track.

I spent the summer working at my first job and reconnecting with friends I went to high school with. While working, I was in a completely different environment with completely different people who had never known me which was very refreshing. Every time I am around new people, I always learn more about myself than I did before which was exactly what happened. I learned how much more confident I have become.

Nevertheless, being around the new people has made me miss being around the old people. Even though I became more comfortable in my new environment, I started to miss my old environment of being around people that were relatively the same age as me, and living on my own. This was the beginning of me starting to miss school which was a point I never thought I'd reach.

The more I thought about the good times I had, the more I started to miss being back at school. I missed my friends, I missed having a constant routine, I missed my school. But I did not begin to miss school until I felt emotionally ready to.

Through my self-reflection, I have learned to have a much more positive outlook on life and those around me. Even though I consider myself to be a very positive person, there was so much negativity around me and inside me during those last few months of school. I don't want to think like that again; it's not who I am.

With all of this in mind, I can honestly say that I am completely ready to go back to school and make this year my best one yet.