With back to school around the corner, many students may find themselves nervous, anxious, or a mixture of both with a sprinkle of excitement. Regardless of what grade or year students may be going into, we all want to make each school year our best. We want to make friends, be academically successful, and be cool. But what does being cool mean exactly? How do we even get to that status? Here are some simple tips and ideas to have a super cool school year.
While teachers and professors offer much knowledge and education to our minds, it’s not entirely their responsibility to fill our lives with critical information. It’s up to us too. Staying up to date with current events, doing some independent research, and subscribing to newsletters are quick and easy ways to get important information that can brighten your mind and look cool to your fellows peers and teachers.
Next, when it comes to interacting with others, we think sounding cool means knowing all the new slang, but slang and trends aren’t all there is to it. Sometimes, it’s about how we say things over what we say. Having a cool tone and attitude consists of being calm, clear, and respectful. There’s nothing cooler than someone who means what they say while also remaining composed and grounded. A cool tone can also prevent conversations from being misinterpreted or lost in translation, making your words straight forward and received correctly. How cool is that?
Moving forward, another component to being cool is taking care of yourself. Dressing to impress doesn’t necessarily mean wearing expensive brands, it means presenting yourself to the best of your ability, and that starts with self-care. Making sure you’re getting plenty of sleep, having proper hygiene, nutritious meals, a clean wardrobe and organized supplies, can all indicate that you care for yourself and present yourself to the best potential, and nothing is cooler than someone focused, prepared, and well rounded —inside and out.
To piggyback off my last point, being your genuine self is ultimately the key foundation to keeping our coolness intact, whether at school, work, or with good company. This includes having self-efficiency, staying grounded, having a good sense of self-worth. Trying so hard to fit in, chasing popularity, or overly-bragging will only result in presenting yourself to be “fake” which is the opposite of what our goal is. Staying true to who you are, being warmhearted, and not seeking validation from others are what will make you cool as a cucumber without overthinking it or stressing about it. Being cool can be the most rewarding, easiest thing in the world, as long as you treat others how you’d like to be treated, and view yourself the way you want others to view you.
Remember the coolest version of yourself is the truest version of yourself. Throughout all life’s ups and downs: keep calm and keep cool.