MY ANGLE: Explore your passions during the summer months

BY ANIKA NADGAUDA

As the school year comes to a close and summer vacation approaches, many of us are excited for the break from classes and homework. While it’s certainly important to take some time to relax and recharge, I believe that summer vacation is also the perfect opportunity to explore your passions and discover more about yourself.

During the school year we are often stuck in a cycle of homework that prevents us from exploring our passions.

A person’s passions are an integral part of who they are. You need time to nurture the different parts of who you are to find what your passions are.

When you find your passion it helps you grow as a person. Engaging in activities that are meaningful and fulfilling will help you see yourself in a new light. You may start to identify with certain groups or communities, or discover new aspects of your personality that you didn't know existed.

These experiences can help you build a strong sense of self and purpose, which can be incredibly valuable as you navigate the challenges and opportunities of the future.

One summer six years ago I discovered my love for poetry. My sister had brought a book home and it included some of the most beautiful poetry I had ever read.

I thought it was so beautiful that I was inspired by it. I started writing small short poems about what I found throughout the day. Eventually my poetry matured and I used it to express my feelings.

Now my poetry has become a huge part of my identity. My poems reflect parts of me that normally I have a hard time expressing.

Exploring your passions during summer vacation doesn't have to be a big, expensive undertaking. There are plenty of ways to pursue your interests without breaking the bank.

For example, you can take up a hobby at home, like painting, writing or playing an instrument. You could also start a book club with friends and read books that you've always wanted to read but never had the time for during the school year.

Last summer, I learned that I had a passion for extreme sports. I went ziplining and scuba diving with my family. The adrenaline rush I got when I jumped off the platform and felt the wind blow past me as I sped past the mountains behind me felt amazing. I realized that those feelings were what was missing in my life.

These experiences helped me develop parts of my personality that I didn't have before. I learned to be more adventurous and outgoing, taking risks like jumping off the high dive or trying new bike trails. I also became more appreciative of my surroundings, taking time to notice and admire the natural beauty around me.

These experiences can help you build a strong sense of self and purpose, which can be incredibly valuable as you navigate the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Exploring your passions during summer vacation can also have a positive impact on your mental health and well-being. Pursuing activities that you enjoy can help reduce stress, boost your mood, and increase feelings of happiness and fulfillment.

It's no secret that school and other responsibilities can be demanding and stressful, so taking some time to focus on things that bring you joy can be a great way to recharge your batteries and start the new school year with a fresh perspective.

One way that I have found helps me recharge is baking. I pick new recipes which often include flavors or ingredients that I normally would not use.

Following a recipe helps me get started but I like to add my own twist to each recipe. It adds a fun element to each dish making it unique and it helps distract me from whatever is stressing me out.

Overall, I believe that summer vacation is a valuable opportunity to explore your passions and discover more about yourself. Whether you're interested in trying something new or diving deeper into a hobby you already love, taking the time to pursue your interests during the summer can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience.

So, as the school year winds down, I encourage you to take some time to think about what makes you happy and fulfilled, and make a plan to explore those passions during your summer vacation.

ADVICE: Coping with rejection and overcoming insecurities

BY ANONYMOUS

This is an advice column that responds to questions from anonymous Country Day students. To submit, send a question to the Google form sent out on May 11, 2023. Responses are not guaranteed, but all submissions are welcome.

Q: What do you do if you like a guy, and you were about to tell him, but then he told you that he likes one of your best friends?

As hard as it is to hear, I suggest you not tell him. I know that contradicts my motto of confronting the situation outright, but in this case, you have received confirmation that he likely does not reciprocate your feelings.

Of course, you can still go ahead and tell him if you feel that will quicken your process of moving forward, but I worry that it will only result in an outright rejection.

As I say this, I think it is necessary to discuss the topic of rejection. For many high school students, rejection is one of the scariest things. Students would rather bottle up their emotions than risk being rejected.

To those students, I must say that rejection does not have to be so scary. In many cases, it is only as catastrophic as you make it.

If you can move on from the situation with poise and confidence, then everybody will forget about it. If instead you choose to dwell on it, hiding away from embarrassment, then you will only make it harder for you and the other party to overlook.

Still, I think in this situation, the best course of action is to overcome your feelings for this boy without telling him because the possibility of reciprocation is slim to none.

While exposing yourself to rejection might work on occasion, by telling him, you run the risk of him handling the news poorly. Thus, for you, I think the bigger dilemma is how to approach this news with your friend.

There are two possible outcomes: your friend likes him back or she doesn’t.

If she doesn’t, you have very little to worry about. While you might not be in a relationship with him, you will also not have to deal with him being in a relationship with someone else, making moving on significantly easier.

Now, the issue arises if your friend reciprocates his feelings.

If she does, and you already know that, I suggest you have a conversation with her. Tell her about your feelings for him, but also remember that as a good friend, you should want the best for her. While it might be difficult to see your crush with your friend, you need to remind yourself that there will always be other guys.

Recognize that you would not want to be in a relationship with someone who does not feel as strongly about you as you do to him. In the meantime, distract yourself with other things: reignite your love for crochet, go out to brunch with a friend or binge watch your favorite tv show. In no time, he will just be someone from your past.

If you are unsure whether your friend likes him, I suggest you bring up the topic nonchalantly. Don’t jump right into it by telling her that he likes her. Instead, ask her if she’s interested in anybody right now. Tiptoe around the topic until you know for certain whether she feels the same toward him.

Once you know, act in accordance with the steps outlined above.

Q: How do I stop comparing myself to others? I always feel like I should be doing better.

For starters, I want to say that you are not alone. It’s easy to get lost in comparison, fixating on where people outperform you, but at the same time, it is important to ground yourself in reality.

When we compare ourselves to others, we have a ten- dency to only focus on where they are doing better. If we are unhappy with our score on a test, we only notice who did better. If we didn’t receive the leadership position we wanted, then we only focus on who did.

While this is completely natural, it only harms us; we end up creating a distorted sense of reality for ourselves.

In a reality where everybody is better than us, it is only normal to feel horrible, but you have to remember that it’s not actually reality.

When you find yourself comparing yourself to others, remember to look at the big picture. Don’t just focus on your failures and their accomplishments; instead, recognize the times when you achieved something. Recognize that they too are human and have likely felt similar feelings of failure.

Additionally, it’s important to stray away from unnecessary competition. While life does naturally breed competition, it only fuels feelings of inadequacy. When you win, you get a quick high, but when you lose, the feelings stick with you much longer than the win ever did, making these unspoken competitions high risk, low reward.

Ultimately, however, the most reliable way to stop comparing yourself is to learn to be content in your own skin. Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose, and that is why you should not define yourself solely by your accomplishments.

Your awards and your accolades are not you. Sure, you received them, but that’s rarely how people choose to describe you. Instead, you are defined by your personality traits.

Write out a list of your values, then make steps towards living in accordance with them.

You will find that in working toward becoming the best version of yourself, you will no longer feel compelled to compare yourself to other people because you are content with who you are.