How to Bounce Back Like a Boss

I am a motivated person. I never experienced first-hand what it was like to have no motivation. I deem myself as somewhat a workaholic as I love working and being productive. For me, taking breaks makes me feel like I’m not doing enough, so I continue to keep myself busy and accomplish tasks throughout the day. This summer was a different story. This was the last summer I would have as a high schooler. After this summer, I wouldn’t have to worry about summer reading assignments, Calculus homework, or any other high school related assignments. But it also hit me how I longed for time to slow down. Then, I reflected on it again. This was my last summer as a high schooler. My method of coping with this was by choosing to be in denial. Time always seemed to go by faster when I kept myself busy, but when I chose to lay back and relax for a while, time seemed to drag. It was bittersweet. But it wasn’t until I realized that I was dragging myself down by doing this. Avoiding the future wouldn’t make it go away. I had to face it head-on. Here’s how I bounced back. Like a boss.

1. Find a source of inspiration. 
   

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   • Social media serves as the primary outlet for inspiration. YouTube is filled with vlogs, inspirational videos, and Q & A videos about how to better yourself. Because social media is practically at our fingertips, we have to utilize it in the best way possible. Twitter is filled with positive quotes, and so are Instagram and Tumblr. The internet is your oyster.
2. Educate yourself. 
   

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   • Reading a good book never hurt anybody. (Unless the ending is an absolute heart-breaker and the whole story is a tear-jerker. Then, you’re in trouble.) Multiple self-help books have been published in the last year. A personal recommendation of mine is Lilly Singh’s “How to Be a Bawse” because in all honesty, she really teaches you how to be a BAWSE.
3. Go out into the real world, socialize, and explore.
   

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   • The world is much more bigger than you think. Go out to a new food place. Go out to explore your city, if you haven’t already been at every nook and cranny. Your friends are supposed to be your outlets for inspiration and self-help as well. If they aren’t, are they really your friends? Socializing is crucial to growth. Other perspectives are needed to grow and learn about the world. There is only so much that you can teach yourself and learn on your own.
4. Remind yourself that you’re only human.
   

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   • If you haven’t watched Hannah Montana at one point of your life, you probably wouldn’t know about the iconic, “Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days.” It’s normal to hit a bump in the road, and it’s absolutely fine to take a hiatus from things to focus on yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will? The best way to understand why you’ve hit a point in your life where the spark has died down is to sit down, take a break, and remind yourself that you’re only human. Everybody goes through phases of uncertainty. You are only human.
5. Accept and reject. 
   

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   • Accept the facts and reject the negative thoughts. Accept the fact that you are human. Reject the thought that you are perfect. Accept the fact that everybody goes through a hard time in their life where they don’t know what to do. Reject the thought that everybody else has their life planned out and you’re the only one who’s lost in the world. Accept the fact that you are capable of getting through anything, no matter how long it takes. Reject the thought that you will instantly reach happiness again. Accept the fact that you will eventually reach your realization. Reject the thought that you will be lost forever.

It took the entire summer for me to realize that denying the facts wouldn’t help me. I was rejecting the facts and accepting the negative thoughts, when I should’ve been doing it the other way around. I was stuck in my house for three months, wondering how my friends were doing and how things would play out, rather than going out and making a change. I kept everything to the imagination, rather than educating myself with the facts. If you are stuck, as I once was, you are not alone. As I was once told, you have two options: you can either be a sponge or glass. When you choose to be a sponge, you absorb everything, which includes the negative thoughts. Or, you can choose to be glass; strong, and letting the negativity slide off. Trust me, you are capable of bouncing back like a boss more than you know!

Written by Charlene Franco 

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