Notes From ND
 | Author:
Mikayla Kraft, MT43 News Correspondent
MT43 News School Correspondent |
Mikayla Kraft
MT43 News Correspondent
I can’t stop looking back to when I was in elementary and middle school and how easy things were. Of course, there was drama between classmates, but it was minuscule. Now, I can’t stop wishing for the times when I would fight with my best friends about who was going to go on the hang glider first. I’m starting to realize that adulting is hard and confusing, and I am not even in the thick of it.
I see that having a phone and completely making your own decisions about it has its consequences. It is already difficult enough to keep myself from doom-scrolling. When the first thing I reach for in the morning and the last thing I touch at night is my phone, it creates an addiction, whether I actively realize it or not. On top of that, as soon as I start scrolling, there is no filter. Social media will filter your feed based on what videos you spend more time watching, which ones you look more into, and which ones you like or share. With the Israel and Iran conflict escalating, combined with my tendency to overthink, the worries and fears have been hard to control.
Keeping my phone in another room or having Nathan keep hold of it can help break a cycle, but other things that go on are more difficult. Since I have moved to Wisconsin for the summer, I have been unable to find a steady job. I have been DoorDash-ing and pet sitting as much as I can, but it was not what I envisioned for a summer job. I am also taking two classes right now and have had difficulty understanding the material, making it hard to do well. I have the responsibility of maintaining an apartment, relationships, and even managing finances for the summer and school year, all of which have multiple layers and get ever more complicated.
All of it sounds negative, but please don’t take it as such. It’s just life, and there is no way to get around it. It is important to face the hard things head-on and hold on to the things that make life a little bit easier. Take a little time out of your day to workout or go on a walk, read a book, or color/paint while watching a movie or listening to music. It makes the hard things feel just a little bit easier, and now I have so much respect for all of you who have been through it for years. Life truly doesn’t get easier, and it is scary, but it will get better with time. The key part is to not ignore the negative, but emphasize the positive.
