confident

5 classroom tips every college freshman needs to know

~ psbrittanykayla ~ Leave a comment

1. College is way more relaxed than high school

Depending on your major and professor, you will be able to roll into class late or even skip, if attendance isn’t a big deal to your professor. Some professors don’t check homework and the only graded assignments are 5 quizzes and 3 tests. In most college classes you can chew gum, eat your lunch and nonchalantly text in the first row of class (although I don’t recommend that). So yeah, college seems like tons of fun right? But the reality is, these professors know that you are paying to be there. You are now old enough to know that every decision you make in life has a consequence and if you choose to not show up to class, not participate, sit on your phone and not pay attention, then you ultimately will be the one who suffers, scrambling to your professors for extra-credit assignments at the end of the semester to boost your grade. You’ll have to pay to take the class again if you fail. Plus, failing a class is not a good look on your GPA and transcript. So don’t get too carried away with all the new classroom freedom you’ve gained while in college.

2. Reference your syllabus often

Most of your college professors will give you a syllabus on the first day of class. Do not lose it! This will be your guide for the rest of the semester. Your questions about the grading system, office hours, current assignments, and future projects will be answered in the syllabus. Your syllabus will have exactly what you will be covering in each class, so if you do ever need to skip, you’ll know exactly what you’re missing. Also check the online system your professor/college uses. Some use College Board, Sakai, etc. This will also have the online version of your syllabus, reading, and homework due for the week. Some professors even link their PowerPoints so you can follow along on your computer in class or to easily reference the notes at home.

3. Sometimes you just need a personal day

We are constantly going through things in our personal life that cause us to feel down and depressed. It is okay to take the day off from class every once in a while to take a mental break. Just don’t do it too often, and make sure you won’t be missing anything important in class. If attendance is an issue, communicate to your professors what you are dealing with. Trust me, most will be understanding if you are transparent and communicate. They’ll likely accommodate you and your schedule.

4. Make a good impression

Most professors have a lot of experience and connections in the field of your major. My major in school was journalism. I had one professor that worked on a TV show and another who was a journalist for CNN and traveled all over the world. By showing up on time to their classes, paying attention, and going up to them after class to show your interest in their career experience makes a great impression and these professors will be the ones who vouch for you, write your references, and connect you to employers for when you graduate.

5. Get the extra help

Some of your classes will be lecture halls, where you may have as many as 500 students in one class at a time. These classes can often move quickly. Make sure you are getting the extra help immediately when you do not understand something so you don’t get left behind. Office hours are the times your professor is available to personally go over and tutor you in the material covered in class. These hours will be on your syllabus and you can schedule an appointment with your professors either in person or through email. Also, there are many available free tutors that every college offers. So take advantage and do not get left behind!

I hope these classroom tips helped my undergrad readers! I have faith you will all will do amazing, in Jesus name. Share this post to save a freshie!

Love,

Brittany Kayla

A 12 year old’s guide to dealing with social anxiety

~ psbrittanykayla ~ Leave a comment
(This post was written by one of my seventh grade students who has social anxiety. She wanted to help other’s who may be going through the same things by writing this post. Enjoy!)

Have you ever felt anxiety? I used to feel like I didn’t belong or like I didn’t fit in. I didn’t fit in with the popular kids and didn’t know the drama they went through. I felt like if I were speaking to someone my age, they were speaking negatively of me. I felt confused about friends, wondering if they were even really my friends. I felt like I wasn’t supposed have these feelings. Kids shouldn’t have anxiety. Right? But I realized that if I am sad and lonely all the time, then I will never be happy. So I did my best to get over these feelings. Here are some of the things I kept in mind that helped me with my social anxiety.

  1. Fake the shyness away

I tried to forget about what other people were thinking of me. So let’s say you’re sitting with the popular girls or something. Try to act like they’ve been friends with you forever. Stop overthinking and just enjoy the moment.

  1. Train your mind

Happiness is a choice. When you have anxiety, negative thoughts in your head all day are very common. But you should train your brain to think of the positive instead of the negative. You will end up being happier, and trust me, feeling happy is awesome.

  1. It’s okay to have these feelings.

I used to feel like I was the only kid who had anxiety. But then I heard some of the other girls my age talk about their experiences with anxiety and depression and I realized that I am not the only one who feels this way. People from kids to adults experience anxiety and that is normal.

  1. It’s okay to be different

I felt like I was different because I am the only girl at my school’s program who plays soccer. I stopped playing in school because I felt like I was weird. But I realized that if you are your true self that you will be happy. And when you are your true self, the right friends with similar interests will come along. I play soccer in school again now.

  1. It’s okay to be alone sometimes

Now I have and talk to more friends but I also spend a lot of time alone too. I like my alone time. Sitting by yourself does not make you weird. It lets you recharge your mind.

I changed a lot and now I am happier. I am dancing to happy music in my room like nobody’s watching! Being weird is a gift. It just means you’re different, and it makes other people smile.

Love,

Iraiz Bautista

How To: Love Yourself Before Loving Someone Else

~ psbrittanykayla ~ Leave a comment

They say you must first love yourself before you can love someone else. And when you do, you’ll find someone that loves you just as much. Well, what does that even mean? Does that mean looking in the mirror and being happy or content with what you see?

One who is insecure knows that loving yourself is a lot easier said than done. Often times, the more insecure a person is, the easier it is to latch onto others for happiness and validation. It’s also common to stay with that person no matter what physical harm or emotional damage they may cause. Because without someone there to feed their personal validation, they would feel lost. This is the result of loving your significant other more than you love yourself.

But how do you love yourself?

I came across a tweet the other day that stated, “Ya’ll love girls who don’t oil their scalp. How they gone love you if they don’t love themselves?” I pondered on this concept and thought about how silly it was to equate oiling your scalp to loving yourself. However, the more I thought about it, I realized that the girl was right. When you really love something, you take care of it. So when you  love yourself, you will invest in yourself. Singles… pay attention.

Take care of yourself physically. Workout and eat the right foods, drink more water, wash your face with your favorite mask, and do treatments to your hair. If you are investing into your health, you’ll feel refreshed, you’ll naturally glow, and you’ll feel energized.

It is also important to invest in your future. If you’re working, keep grinding and save up for your goals. If you’re in school, keep studying until you achieve that degree! Invest into your future and invest into your goals.

Do what makes you happy. I love writing and painting. I also love being alone and watching Netflix! My alone time keeps me sane, so sometimes I’ll take a raincheck on plans with friends so I can feel balanced and stress free. Take a break from life and find a hobby that you personally enjoy.

Learn to put yourself first and you will begin to truly love yourself. It’s not easy, but when you invest into your body, skin, and hair… perfect your craft, achieve your goals, and do what you love; you will reach your full potential. Once you feel like you are the best version of yourself possible, your boo will come along. Until then, enjoy YOUR life!

With love,

Brittany Kayla

 

Overcoming Insecurities

~ psbrittanykayla ~ 1 Comment

From a person that has struggled to love herself all her life, I know how cliché and honestly, unhelpful it is to hear an always smiling, self-proclaimed life motivator yelling through a screen “You are beautiful! Love yourself!” You’ll have a big smile on your face with this rush of confidence and a new and improved, “you can’t tell me nothing” attitude. Resulting in a person who actually feels on top of the world for about one hour until it’s time to step out into the real world.

I know what it feels like to go out, obsessing about what others might be thinking about you. I know what it feels like to get compliments daily, while looking in the mirror at the end of the night and not believing a thing they’ve said. Sometimes I would wish that I could see what others saw in me because I couldn’t imagine seeing anything other than what I saw in myself.

I was always afraid to admit that I had these insecurities. I was scared that I would look weak and pathetic, or like I would be crying for attention and fishing for compliments.

What I ultimately wanted was self-confidence and the ability to not care about what anyone else thought of me or my decisions. So I did my research. And what I found was a YouTube video of a woman saying all she did was looked in the mirror every single day and said, “I love myself.”

So I did it. Every day I would look myself in the eyes saying that I was beautiful. That I was the sh*t! And even if I didn’t believe it just yet, I walked out the room with my head held high thinking, “I am beautiful.”

Eventually I started viewing myself in a different light. I no longer saw myself through the lens of society. The Kardashian, makeup, implant society.

I started seeing myself through a pure lens. The natural Lisa Bonet lens. That, “this is me with no makeup, flaws and all” type of lens.

And I believed it. I still do. It’s not a temporary, false self-confidence. I am beautiful, and you are too.

xo, Brittany Kayla