BU New Year’s Resolutions

We’ve been back at BU for about a month now and old habits may begin to resurface. Don’t lose sight of the New Year’s resolutions you made in a drunken haze because drunk you was just trying to take care of 2017 you. Allston is just as gross as it seemed a month ago, and that boy is just as much of an asshole.

This semester, stay on track with those resolutions, even as your stress level gets higher and the weather gets colder.

Stop going out without a jacket

Seriously, this should go without saying. The weather is about to drop to the single digits at night and alcohol blankets aren’t real. They’re just a way that you validate not buying a fracket (a frat jacket, for those of you who still don’t think it’s a thing). Invest in a cheap, but sufficient, coat and enjoy your night out without ending up frozen in the snow. I don’t care how many times your friends tell you that you’ll look out of place or like a party amateur. You can be warm while their lips turn as blue as their crop tops.

Keep up with your readings

Getting behind on the readings for even one class will only make your stress worse. You’ll just have to slave over double the work later. Let the December 31st hard-working bad ass you shine and engage with your readings nightly. I know, professors assign more reading than should be legal. It’s only because they’re so passionate about the subject, and we should be grateful to have such a caring staff and try to learn something from those 300 pages. Even if what we learn is that we hate anthropology.

Quit your T. Anthony’s nightly habit

It tastes great, it’s quick, and it’s cheap. Why not skip the dining hall and get the best pizza in Boston when it’s right on campus? It’s hard to validate a reason to stop going to T. Anthony’s after a night out or after a full day of classes with friends but pizza is not a food group and we have to find the will to stop making it one. Your body deserves better than a bucket of grease for dinner, and your wallet wants you to stop slowly breaking its heart day after day. I hate to say it, but the only way to stop this is cold turkey and then add it back in small doses at a time. Sorry, T’s. See you in a month or so.

Exercise is a must

Walking to class doesn’t count as your exercise for the day. Fitrec has five floors and you get free access. This is the only time in your life when working out will be free. Take advantage and use the opportunity. When the weather gets cold and snow becomes the norm, it’s easy to keep yourself cooped up in your room with a nice aesthetic of your salt lamp and lit candles, as you binge watch a show that you convince yourself is valuable to your education. But, this is a sure way to feel the ramifications of seasonal depression. Release some endorphins everyday and nervous energy by getting your butt to fitrec and getting physical.

Ditch your fuckbuddy

I know I just talked about getting physical but seriously having a half-commitment is more exhausting and confusing than having a real one. If you don’t want a relationship, that’s perfectly fine, but stop wasting your time on somebody you’ve basically admitted to yourself is sufficient physically but falls short emotionally. You deserve to be surrounded by people who push you out of your comfort zone and make you feel wonderful all at the same time. And if you’re waiting for your fuckbuddy to date you, I’ll let you in on a secret. They never will, and if they want to they’ll still have a cell phone that they can contact you on, even if you stop sleeping with them.

Do what you need to do to be you

Stop falling for social constructs, and societal expectations this year. 2017 is the year for you, so don’t let somebody tell you who you are or who you should be. Whatever direction you decide to go in this year, have the confidence to do it fully and without the looming fear that you’re making the wrong choice. New Year’s Eve was a great night filled with confident proclamations of how amazing you thought you were. Yes, the words might have been slurred, but don’t let that person go. Hold on to your certainty and live the life you yearned to have in the previous year.