Lauryn Starke

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Finding Balance

As a college student, I have a super busy schedule. Sometimes it can be overwhelming trying to balance all of my obligations, but I’ve found that striking this balance is one of the true secrets to success. Finding this balance is always a work in progress, and I’m far from perfect when it comes to keeping harmony in my life. But in my college journey so far, I’ve found that balancing your life is so important.

“Life is a balance between holding on and letting go.” -Rumi

thirteenthoughts.com

The balance I’m talking about means a lot more than just balancing out your schedule. This spans across all aspects of life from work to relationships to emotional well-being. These are a few of the things I’ve learned that help me find my balance.

“2019 Planner” *by Aya Alaa* creativecommons.org

1. Plan It Out

The first step I take is always planning out my schedule. I absolutely SWEAR by my planner. Every week I write down my meetings, work shifts, and other events. I also keep a running to-do list of all of the assignments I need to complete as well as other important things that need to get done.

I truly believe that all college students — and crazy busy people in general — should keep a planner. I prefer writing things out in a physical planner, but there are plenty of digital options if that works better for you. A nice bonus is customizing your planner to fit your own style! The bottom line is that a planner allows you to organize all your obligations in one place, so you don’t have to worry about overbooking yourself or (if you’re like me) forgetting important stuff.

“Weston Beach” by Tom Clifton creativecommons.org

2. Make Time for What You Want

When you have a busy schedule, it’s easy to feel like you have to be on the go and working all the time. It sounds like a productive way to get things done, but it’ll throw off your balance and cause you to feel burnt out. Remember that it’s completely okay to take some time off. Give yourself the opportunity to do the things that make you happy! Maybe that means going out with friends, taking that dance class you’ve been wanting to try, or just sitting at home shamelessly binge-watching a new show.

Never feel guilty for taking time for yourself. This will help you stay centered in life and feel refreshed when it’s time to get back on the grind. After all, there is so much more to life than working and studying.

3. Be Kind to Yourself

If you want balance in your life, you first have to find balance inside yourself. Think about it — how can you focus on work when you’re too exhausted to think or too stressed to be motivated? Both mental and physical health are the building blocks to living a balanced life.

After a long day of work, you deserve a reward! Take a moment to reflect on the work you did and be proud of yourself for what you accomplished, instead of wishing you did more or worrying about what tomorrow will bring. The attitude you have towards yourself directly reflects on your attitude towards the rest of your life.

Make sure you’re giving yourself the time you need to take care of your needs. When you’re super tired from working hard, allow yourself time to get the rest you need to get back to it tomorrow. It sounds silly, but remember to eat! Putting good things into your body will help you get good out, too.

“Flowers (16)” by theclyde creativecommons.org

There’s no perfect formula to finding balance because every individual is different. Just never forget that your top priority is your own health and happiness. When you’re in touch with yourself, everything else will start to balance out.

-Lauryn

Staying Sane in Quarantine

All of us are currently stuck in self-isolation… and it’s not fun. If you’re anything like me, all this alone time is probably starting to make you go a little insane. Since we can’t leave our houses, I’ve decided to compile a list of some things you can do to try and keep from getting so stir crazy!

1. Binge Your Favorite Movie Series

One of the best ways to kill time in a boring reality is to immerse yourself in a new one! Some of the movies I’ve been watching include the Harry Potter series and the full Marvel Avengers movies.

2. Coloring Books

It’s a nice throwback to your childhood, and definitely takes up you time. Bonus: it’s a great stress reliever!

“My Coloring” by beautifulcataya creativecommons/org

3. Get Informed

Everyone has something they wish they knew more about. Use this time to research for the upcoming elections, finally understand the stock market, or figure out how taxes work.

4. Spring Cleaning

Now you finally have time to reorganize your closet, deep clean the bathroom, or do all those other little chores you usually put off. A clean space leads to a clear mind!

5. Make Plans

Let’s be honest: things kinda suck right now. So it’s a great escape to plan out a bunch of fun things to do this summer when life starts getting closer to normal again.

6. Try Out a New Look

Whether you keep it tame by putting together a new outfit or go all out and dye your hair, trying out a new look keeps things fun! And the best part? If it doesn’t look as good as you imagined, no one else has to see it!

7. Phone a Friend

It’s hard to feel alone and removed from all the people in your life. FaceTime a friend to see how they’re doing or reach out to someone you’ve been meaning to reconnect with!

8. Enjoy the Great Outdoors

We have to be distant from each other right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get in touch with nature. You can hike a mountain or just sunbathe in the backyard. However far you go, getting outside can help release stress and and feel refreshed.

9. Write It Down

Journaling is a great outlet to get your feelings off your chest. You can chronicle your time in quarantine, write out your goals, or keep a dream journal. Also, if you have old journals, now is a fun time to reminisce on memories from back in the day.

10. Start a Project

Usually, we’re so busy that we don’t have as much time as we want to focus on our passions. Now, the opportunities are endless. Learn how to play guitar, start writing your novel, paint a masterpiece, cook a fancy meal, compose music–whatever your heart desires.

“Spring Flowers” by BluegrassAnnie creativecommons.org

Things right now are pretty tough. But if we use this time to think, relax, and connect, we can all come out even better than before.

-Lauryn

Surviving Freshmen Year

College is an exciting new time in life, but it can be extremely daunting. It’s impossible to know what to expect and where your first year at university will take you.

In my case, freshmen year has been anything but easy. I moved 1800 miles away from home to a place where I didn’t know anyone and I had no idea what was going to happen. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but I’ve learned a lot. So I’ve put together a Freshmen Year Survival Guide to help other college newbies through their first year, and hopefully learn from my experience.

1. Be Open to Everything

The best way to kick off your college experience is to try anything and everything. Go to events, check out clubs, play in a sports league that’s just for fun, take a class that you have no clue if you’ll like or not. Don’t shy away from new experiences! You never know when you’ll fall in love with something new. An extra perk is that you’ll meet tons of new people!

2. Talk to Everyone

The more people you talk to, the more familiar your campus will start to feel. You don’t have to become best friends with everybody, but it’s nice to see friendly faces in the hallway or have some people to sit with in the dining hall. Figuring out the giant puzzle that is college is so much easier when you have people by your side to help you through it.

3. If Something Isn’t Working, Don’t Do It!

One of the beautiful things about college is how many choices you have. Are you in a class that’s way too hard or has an awful professor? Drop it and find one that fits you! End up hanging around some not-so-great people? There are so many others you can meet and sooner or later you’ll find your people. There are so many options out there. Take control of your college experience and do what works for you!

4. The Dining Hall Is Your Friend, Not Your Enemy

It’s no secret that food from the dining hall isn’t always the best, but use your meal plan to its full potential. Go in for dinner and grab extra food to take with for a late night snack. Take milk and sugar back to your dorm for the millions of cups of coffee you’ll be drinking instead of buying it from the store. Remember how much you pay for your dining plan and get creative!

5. Don’t Be Afraid To Move

My housing situation in my first semester wasn’t a good one, and I know tons of other freshmen who had the same problems. If you get the opportunity, move out. It may seem scary to start over with a new roommate or a new dorm, but in the end it’s so worth it. Your room should be a safe and relaxing space for you to come home to. Your living situation can completely make or break your first year experience.

6. Get Off Campus

At first, it seems like you have everything you could ever need on campus — food, friends, the bookstore — but campuses can quickly turn into a bubble. Getting off campus once in a while gives you a much needed change of scenery, and it can even help you feel less homesick. The same routine can get boring. Go do something different!

7. Live In The Moment

As cheesy as it sounds, college goes by fast. You’ll never be as young as you are right now, so don’t waste time worrying too much. Take some risks! Go to a party, stay up late with your friends, do something crazy that you’ve never done before. Remember that college is about so much more than school — it’s about discovering who you are and growing into the person you’re meant to become. Even if you don’t realize it at the time, you’re making memories that you’ll treasure forever. Make it count.

-Lauryn

Missing Out on Travel Costs You What Money Can’t Buy

Imagine getting an all expense paid trip to your dream destination. Who wouldn’t jump at that opportunity? But put a price tag on your dream trip (and a hefty one at that) and suddenly it doesn’t seem like such a good idea. Money holds so many of us back from doing what our heart desires, but when it comes to travelling I think it’s worth so much more to spend the cash and take the leap.

Travelling may be expensive, but I guarantee that everything you get out of it will be worth so much more than the money you spent to get there.

At age 19, I know I’m incredibly lucky to have gone on the adventures I have. I’ve gone from zip lining over the cloud forests of Costa Rica to snorkeling with giant turtles in Hawaii to playing with baby elephants at a sanctuary in Thailand. I’ll come right out and say that these trips were not cheap. But I would spend twice as much on them as I did to keep the experiences I had.

I wholeheartedly believe that you learn so much more from travelling somewhere new than you ever could in a classroom. There’s no better way to discover beautiful things both outside in the world and inside of yourself. Through my travels I’ve learned all kinds of things, like how to surf, how to say “hello” in Thai, and even which kinds of termites are safe to eat if you ever find yourself lost in a jungle. But I’ve found that some of the most important things I’ve learned are things you could never capture on a camera.

I had the opportunity to experience cultures vastly different from mine and meet so many amazing people. Travelling taught me how lucky I am to have such a good life, and made me realize and appreciate what it really means to be alive. I’ve seen how astoundingly beautiful the world can be, as well as so many of the people who inhabit it.

My big adventures completely changed the course of my life. Without pushing myself to explore the world outside of the bubble I grew up in, I don’t think I ever would’ve realized I my dreams of being a writer. I want to share all the good in the world, and make the bad a little bit better in any way I can.

So, sure, travelling is expensive. But you can’t put a price on a breath-taking sunset or a wonderful new friend or a once in a lifetime experience. Moments like that are priceless.

-Lauryn

Welcome to My Blog

Welcome! My name is Lauryn Starke. I’m a 19 year old college student enrolled at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. I’m currently majoring in Journalism and minoring in Women & Gender Studies. I grew up in northern Colorado and moved out to New York in the fall of 2019 for college. I love writing, art, music, travel, and the environment.

In my blog, I hope to put out all the thoughts and ideas I have that I want to share with the world. I currently write for the Marist Circle, a campus newspaper, and plan to link some of my work to this page. I plan to use this space to share any writing I have that wouldn’t be published elsewhere. I’ll cover topics like college life, travel, healthy living, activist issues, and so much more.

Thanks for going on this journey with me!

-Lauryn