[yeah, i didn't follow this advice either, and dear god i wish i had. twenty years hence, you'll want to remember even the really sucky times. nobody under thirty is going to believe me when i say this. at least some people over thirty aren't going to believe me when i say this. but twenty years hence, you'll want to remember even the really sucky times.]
and kdsorceress only sort of counts. if doing it online is convenient, create another journal (on livejournal or on one of the other services) -- one you TELL NOBODY ABOUT -- and make every single post private/locked. there's something quite therapeutic about pen and paper, but it isn't for everybody, your hand eventually hurts in a way that typing doesn't provoke, and it doesn't have password protection. on the other hand, it doesn't have a "delete" key either, so there's less chance you'll have a dismal day and destroy it. at least not without a book of matches.
another possibility is to give yourself another gmail account and write yourself letters. if it's easier, "address" them to your mother or your sister. but you need a place for you and your writing voice -- and nobody else -- to palaver regularly.
get up early one morning and listen to the traffic reports with a map of boston in front of you.
repeat as necessary until you understand each and every portion of bridge and spur and interstate and parkway.
there's a unique local nomenclature to every city that takes some getting used to, and you'll want to be able to be able to give and take directions without needing a translator.
accept the fact that you'll be unhappy -- possibly even really unhappy -- at least some of the time, and forgive yourself for being human.
this ties into the drugs thing. far, far too many people fall into the trap of assuming they need palliative care for the disease of being alive. college is no different. you're going to have bad days. people around you are going to fight, and sometimes with you. you're going to get stressed. you're going to get lonely. none of these things require a pill. they require a hug (or some tea, if nobody's around) and a good night's sleep.
if you ever decide to use a smudge stick in your room, introduce your RA to the smell it gives off when you burn it.
just trust me on this. (also: put a towel under the door.)
never, ever put anything on a credit card that leaves you with a balance you can't pay off completely at the end of the month.
one thing about credit cards nobody really explains is that they really are good things to have, and use, and use regularly. but only if you can pay off the balance every single month. there's nothing wrong with putting something extremely practical, (and/or considerate, like a tank of gas for whomever's car is taking you on whatever roadtrip you find yourself on), on the card every once in a while. the reason is that your credit rating gets a not-insignificant percentage of its numbers from the length of time you've had a positive credit history. but other than the once-and-a-while minor charges, you should probably use a check card instead of a credit card absolutely everywhere else.
listen to your instincts.
not "follow them," necessarily. at least not all the time. it'll take a while before you get the knack of knowing what's a good instinct ("put the 'LOOK! i've got an IPOD!' headphones in your pocket before getting off of the subway") and what's a bad instinct ("i like pizza. i like pixy-stix. what could possibly go wrong here?").
get a camera. take it everywhere. take pictures. all the time. of everything.
this ties in with the journaling thing. take a picture of your desk. the sculpture of beer cans in the study. your roommate when she's asleep. the pizza from your favorite pizza shack. that door down the hall with all the funny quotes on it. everything. upload copies of the important ones to your private journal and annotate, annotate, annotate. what are the names of the people in the photos? when was this? what were you doing? why was it fun? what happened next?
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2007-06-24 09:06 am (UTC)[yeah, i didn't follow this advice either, and dear god i wish i had. twenty years hence, you'll want to remember even the really sucky times. nobody under thirty is going to believe me when i say this. at least some people over thirty aren't going to believe me when i say this. but twenty years hence, you'll want to remember even the really sucky times.]
and kdsorceress only sort of counts. if doing it online is convenient, create another journal (on livejournal or on one of the other services) -- one you TELL NOBODY ABOUT -- and make every single post private/locked. there's something quite therapeutic about pen and paper, but it isn't for everybody, your hand eventually hurts in a way that typing doesn't provoke, and it doesn't have password protection. on the other hand, it doesn't have a "delete" key either, so there's less chance you'll have a dismal day and destroy it. at least not without a book of matches.
another possibility is to give yourself another gmail account and write yourself letters. if it's easier, "address" them to your mother or your sister. but you need a place for you and your writing voice -- and nobody else -- to palaver regularly.
get up early one morning and listen to the traffic reports with a map of boston in front of you.
repeat as necessary until you understand each and every portion of bridge and spur and interstate and parkway.
there's a unique local nomenclature to every city that takes some getting used to, and you'll want to be able to be able to give and take directions without needing a translator.
accept the fact that you'll be unhappy -- possibly even really unhappy -- at least some of the time, and forgive yourself for being human.
this ties into the drugs thing. far, far too many people fall into the trap of assuming they need palliative care for the disease of being alive. college is no different. you're going to have bad days. people around you are going to fight, and sometimes with you. you're going to get stressed. you're going to get lonely. none of these things require a pill. they require a hug (or some tea, if nobody's around) and a good night's sleep.
if you ever decide to use a smudge stick in your room, introduce your RA to the smell it gives off when you burn it.
just trust me on this. (also: put a towel under the door.)
never, ever put anything on a credit card that leaves you with a balance you can't pay off completely at the end of the month.
one thing about credit cards nobody really explains is that they really are good things to have, and use, and use regularly. but only if you can pay off the balance every single month. there's nothing wrong with putting something extremely practical, (and/or considerate, like a tank of gas for whomever's car is taking you on whatever roadtrip you find yourself on), on the card every once in a while. the reason is that your credit rating gets a not-insignificant percentage of its numbers from the length of time you've had a positive credit history. but other than the once-and-a-while minor charges, you should probably use a check card instead of a credit card absolutely everywhere else.
listen to your instincts.
not "follow them," necessarily. at least not all the time. it'll take a while before you get the knack of knowing what's a good instinct ("put the 'LOOK! i've got an IPOD!' headphones in your pocket before getting off of the subway") and what's a bad instinct ("i like pizza. i like pixy-stix. what could possibly go wrong here?").
get a camera. take it everywhere. take pictures. all the time. of everything.
this ties in with the journaling thing. take a picture of your desk. the sculpture of beer cans in the study. your roommate when she's asleep. the pizza from your favorite pizza shack. that door down the hall with all the funny quotes on it. everything. upload copies of the important ones to your private journal and annotate, annotate, annotate. what are the names of the people in the photos? when was this? what were you doing? why was it fun? what happened next?
no, YOU'RE the one with the funny accent.
s'true. you'll get used to it. eventually.