We’ve made our way to another year and another spring semester, somehow. With time flying by and the nearer we get to living an “adult” life, there can be an overwhelming amount of pressure to know what you are doing each summer. Especially for those graduating, it can be anxiety-inducing if you don’t already have a job, internship or other opportunity lined up. However, being uncertain and unsure is incredibly okay. While it can be nerve-racking not having security about the future, it is also important to remember that it is okay not to always dwell on it. Even if you are certain of what you are doing in a few months or further off in the future, the same sentiment still applies. Sometimes it’s better to just slow down and enjoy your undergraduate years.

We’ve all heard eye-roll worthy platitudes about slowing down and living in the moment. After all, many of us are overachievers and want to strive for success to ensure a better future. So we overwhelm ourselves with courses, extracurriculars, internships and jobs. And while to a certain extent, this is essential so that we don’t end up jobless in the aftermath, the constant rat race can destroy our college experience and prevent us from growing in other, nonacademic ways. To clarify, slowing down and being more present does not necessarily mean going out on the weekends or hanging out with friends. Rather, it is being “aware and mindful of what is happening at this very moment,” psychologists note. 

Again, “living in the present” or “moment” are overused sayings, but that does not mean they don’t have some truth to them. As college students who are constantly thinking about the future or even the past, it might be beneficial to incorporate some habits of being present in our lives. There are many ways to do this—such as meditation, breathing techniques, daily reflections, engaging more with nature, acceptance of uncertainty and much more. There is no “right” way to slow down and be more present, but perhaps, making the active decision to do so is what some of us need in these fleeting years.