Hey guys! My name is Jasmine Te. I am a freshman at the University of California, Santa Barbara and am planning on graduating in 2023 (hopefully 2022). I am a Classics Major with an emphasis on Greek and Roman culture. Basically it’s the study of Greek and Roman culture. I am 18 years old, and something I like to do in my free time is binge watch Youtube videos and movies on Netflix. Feel free to read more about self-love here: https://pluggedin2020.school.blog/2020/03/04/self-love/

link to picture

When we feel happy, a chemical called dopamine is released.

WAYS TO START LOVING YOURSELF

1. Make a list of 10 things you love about yourself
2. Create a vision board for your dreams
3. Take a 30 min walk in nature and/or watch a sunset
4. Try an empowering workout
5. Try to get 7 hours of sleep and drink water
6. Spend a day with little to no Internet

Taking care of yourself is VERY important. Don’t get me wrong here. I understand sometimes we have so many things going on in our lives that we sometimes forget to prioritize our well-being, but it’s good to start building healthy habits early on. Trying something new for yourself such as going a day without the Internet can be difficult at first, trust me I know, but it’s definitely worth it to take some time off the Internet to go enjoy a walk outdoors! Smell the fresh air, listen to the sounds of birds chirping, feel the breeze… Want to take on a challenge? I dare you to do as many of the things that I have listed.

With final exams and midterm exams, college can be stressful. What UCSB has is a quarter system which means the school year is divided into four quarters (fall, winter, spring, and summer). Currently, I am in winter quarter and am almost in spring quarter. What this also means, unfortunately for me, is that everything here is fast-paced. Without a balance between academics and fun, it’s very easy to get caught up in the schoolwork and feel overwhelmed. Ways I like to cope with the stress are watching sunsets at the beach, tanning, taking walks, hanging out with friends, and watching movies in my spare time.

Family

Family love is not always like you see in the picture above. Most people try to hide the bad parts of their families. When they go out to events it is like they put a filter over their entire family to look picture perfect. It can get tiring and sometimes fights can happen between family members. Getting through those fights is what makes you stronger.

When I was growing up, I never got along with my mom. It would be so bad that my step dad once asked us to stop for a day. We always fought about the most random things. No matter how much we fought we would always apologize at the end of day because we knew we never really meant any of it.

Once, I researched Zodiac signs, and it turns out my mother’s zodiac and mine do not get along.

Zodiacs That Don’t Get Along

We always resolved everything by talking things through. This became more necessary because when it came to choosing a college my parents did not approve of my decision, but talking it through helped us. In the end, leaving for college made our bond stronger. Now that we have distance we value our time together when I come home and do not fight as much.  

Family can be a pain, but they will be the ones to listen to anything you have to say and they will always stand by you when you need them most. 

Communication

No family is perfect! Talk it out and everything will work out.

Meet the Author:

Hey guys, I’m Cortney! I’m from West Covina, CA, but I went to school in a little town called Duarte. I’m currently a Pre-Communication major over at UCSB, and I’m loving life here so far! Whenever I have free time, I enjoy making music, binge-watching shows on Netflix and Hulu, and hanging out with my friends. If you ever need guidance, feel free to contact me at cortneyho@ucsb.edu. I hope you enjoy our blog! 🙂

Introduction

From middle school until now, I’ve learned how to build my accounts on professional websites like LinkedIn, Handshake, and Glassdoor, how to write awesome essays in MLA format, and I’ve been able to distinguish professional relationships from typical ones. Now that I’m a little older, I’ve learned that the relationships you share with family members or your best friends are totally different from the relationships you share with professionals.

A few examples of professionals you will meet in your life are:

• Teachers
• Professors
• Employers
• Coworkers

And let’s be real here… most adults!

Here are some ways you could build your own PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS!

• Address professionals with “Dr.” or “Mr./Mrs.” instead of “dude” or “bro” like you usually would with your friends and classmates.
• Show up to classes and meetings on time
• Dress neatly and appropriately
• Be respectful of those around you

 

Getting into your first relationship is exciting. After all the hours you’ve spent over-analyzing every text, all the flirting, and all the Instagram stalking you’ve done, you’re finally dating the person you’ve been hardcore crushing on. But when I got into my first relationship, I didn’t know what the heck I was doing, and I’m sure a lot of you feel the same way. So, to help you out, here’s 5 five things I wish I knew before I started dating.

1. Space is important for a healthy relationship.

I know, I know. Your S/O is really cute and amazing and you just want to spend every second of every day with them. But your S/O should not be your whole life! While it’s completely normal to spend a lot of time with them, especially in the beginning, remember that you are your own person and that you need time alone to grow and mature as an individual. And don’t forget about your friends and family! They were there way before your S/O came along and shouldn’t be tossed aside just because you’re in a relationship now. 

2. It’s okay to love who you love. 

Everyone remembers their first love, and mine was this nerdy guy that sat next to me in English class. He was really sweet and treated me like a queen. But throughout our relationship, people would always tell me that he was “weird” and “ugly” and told me that I could do so much better than him. Their words made me feel ashamed and embarrassed for liking him. I ended up breaking up with him because of what they said, even though he was super sweet and nice. Don’t make the same mistake as I did. Never let anyone make you feel like there’s something wrong with you for loving who you love. As long as your S/O treats you right and makes your life better, forget about what anyone else says! Your happiness is all that matters 🙂

3. Know your self worth.

I let my exes get away with a lot when I was with them. I constantly felt drained and unhappy in these relationships because they kept treating me like trash. Every time I confronted them about it, I bought all their lame excuses and gave them endless chances, even though they definitely didn’t deserve it. If you find yourself constantly unhappy because of how they treat you and you aren’t seeing a change in their behavior, think about whether you really want to be with them or not. You’re all kings and queens and you deserve someone who treats you that way! 

4. Communication is key!

Your S/O isn’t a mind reader! Always tell them how you’re feeling or what’s on your mind. You feel like your S/O isn’t appreciating you enough? Tell them! They said something that upset you? Tell them! You want to get In-N-Out for lunch? TELL THEM. Even if your inner dark Kermit is telling you not to, don’t listen to him and communicate with your S/O! It’s a simple solution that’ll save you from a lot of arguments and heartache later. 

5. It’s not going to be easy. 

I know it seems impossible that your S/O would ever hurt you- they’re cute and funny and they make you so happy. But every relationship has its ups and downs, and you will get hurt during one of the low points. No one’s perfect, not even your S/O, and in order for it to last, both of you need to put in effort to get past these challenges and make your relationship stronger. Relationships are hard work and it’s not always going to be easy, but the highs will make going through the lows worth it. 

About the Author

Hi guys! My name is Cynthia, and I’m a first year Psychological and Brain Science and Communications double major. I’m from a small town in the Bay Area that’s about five hours away from here. In my free time, I like going to the beach, petting cute dogs, and hanging out with my friends. I hope you like our blog! 🙂