This I have Learned

Finding your Outlet

School and life outside of it can be stressful, so finding your outlet early on can help you manage the struggles to come. After 16 years of being the skinniest kid at school and looking like a 2x4, I started dedicating myself to the gym. As I became more comfortable lifting, the gym became like therapy; I could drop all my worries at the door and throw around some heavy weights to the taps and drumming of my rap playlist. Working out helped me through the horror that is junior year, and over time built up my confidence. Just because the gym became my outlet doesn't mean it has to be shared by everyone; anything ranging from art to sports to tinkering is just as great. Aside from relieving stress, outlets can help you find a long term passion, or in my case, become my passion. I look forward to my daily workouts and spend hours in the gym (as Josiah clearly knows after camping me out for water wars) getting rid of all my stress, but also working to improve myself little by little. Even if your outlet doesn't become your passion the gym did for me, having a way to release that stress helps get you in a state of mind where the world seems just a little brighter and more confident.

The Value of Friends

As my group of kindergarten friends transitioned into high school, we all began to separate a little, each finding additional groups and hanging out a little less. As the years passed the gap slowly grew, until the lockdown showed us what we were missing. When all else disappears, having connections to fall back on can make all the difference. Friends really do make life better not only from the support they provide but also the support they require; making sacrifices for people you care about is a true test of empathy and betters us as people without us even being conscious of it. With the boys back together now, going into college together takes out all the fear; sure we're still entering an unknown, but that same bond still exists when all familiarity stays at home.