Inside Out, Dir. Pete Docter, Pixar Animation Studios, 2015

With the new school year starting, it’s an understatement to say that things have been rough. The transition from sleeping in and having so much free time than I knew what to do with to the only thing being on my mind is school has some getting used to. Although it may seem like the end of the world three hours into doing my homework, I remember that without experiencing conflict, pain, or negative emotions, you would not be human.

“…But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything — what a waste!”

André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name, 2008

I survive my current environment by finding small moments of joy, which I get to experience every day, and remind myself that there is light at the end of the tunnel. For example, every moment of free time that we get during school which includes the morning before school starts, break, lunch, and passing periods, I get to meet up with my friends and talk about what is going on in our lives. We walk to our classes, take 0.5 pictures, and just enjoy being in each other’s company. While it may seem silly, social media has really strengthened my friendships, offering us a new form of communicating outside of school. From sending each other TikToks to waiting for our daily BeReal to go off, every day has something different about it to enjoy.

Something else that helps me survive my current environment is entertainment. From books, movies, TV shows, and Youtube videos, it helps me through the form of escapism. Keeping up with someone else’s story and watching them go through the trial and tribulations of life reminds me that we all experience conflict in one way or another. Whether it’s a fictional story about another secret world that exists within ours or current celebrity news, it helps me remember that other people also have to work through their adversity.

Here’s a Youtube Video I really enjoy:

Lastly, the only thing that I think can get me through the day is music. I’ve grown to not be able to do simple tasks without music in the background since it really sets the mood of what you are doing. Every morning when I get up, I usually have a song stuck in my head and play that. I then play one of my other playlists for the rest of the duration of getting ready. I then head to the car where my AirPods are in the entire time until I get to first period. Something I really enjoy about Spotify is its Spotify Wrapped, which shows and analyses what music you listen to for the year. I’ve learned to discover other websites that do this as well and put them in fun formats. This has been routine for me to check and I’ve learned that I mostly listen to pop, indie rock, and classical music.

To conclude, I believe that no matter how hard and miserable life can seem, it is what we have to go through to discover true happiness. Without negative emotions, happiness and good feelings cease to exist.