As much as we're all excited about it, when you know that you're about to embark on a new path in a new chapter of your life, the ambiguity of the future brings about fear. And, fear can prevent us from living our best lives and being the best versions of ourselves.

When it comes to college, fear has no place in that experience.
There's just simply no room for it.

Fortunately for us youngsters, college is a time for self-improvement. It's a space that is specifically designated for growing and changing. I mean, no one goes into college thinking they're going to be the same person they were when they entered.

In my personal experience, I have a lot of regrets when it comes to my college experience. Most of it stems from how I spent my time freshman year. And so I start us off with this:

Your freshman year sets the tone for the rest of your college experience.

Some people may not agree with me and that's okay. But, I strongly stand by this statement.

I've worked in student affairs for most of my time in college. Actually, the entirety of my (almost) four and a half years in university. Starting from being a building representative to working for student housing to being a peer mentor and now being editor-in-chief of my schools' newspaper. I know students pretty well.

And, time and time again I see the same thing. Students that were unhappy with their freshman year usually stay unhappy with the rest of their college experience to some degree.

Now, that's not to say that it's impossible to change this. But, that's a blog post for another day.

We're here to talk about the number one fear you need to conquer before going to college. So, now the question is, what is that fear?

Your fear is simply this:

What other people think of you.

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 2014 and I had just gotten back from Japan. I had a little less than a month to get ready to go off to college. With not a clue as to what I would need, I started with a simple search on Pinterest and came across thousands of blogs and sites telling me about the hundreds of things that I should bring with me to college.

Believing in most of the things I was being told, I bought just about everything on those lists with the exception of what I already owned (because tbh I'm not rich).

After trying to pack all of the items into my car and embarking on a 6-hour ride to my new home, I quickly realized that I had too much stuff. Once I was moving in, it was clear that I had brought too many items and didn't have enough room for most of it.

As the semester went on, I was surrounded in my cramped dorm room by items that I literally never used. Ugh, what a waste.

To prevent you from going through what I did, here are some items I would recommend you not bring with you to college.

Ironing Board and Iron

Coffee Maker

Printer

Toaster

Alarm Clock

A Bike

Well, there you have it. A whole list of unnecessary items that so many college students bring with them on move-in day. Save yourself the trouble and ensure that you'll have a great time in college without all the clutter.

Have more recommendations of what not to bring to college? Leave a comment or let me know via Twitter and Instagram @bria_alex_.

When it comes to beauty, the first thing to know about me is that I have oily skin. I'm not talking about oily enough that I only need to blot one or two times a day. We're talking, I'm so oily that someone has asked me what kind of highlighter I use. And to keep a long story short, they were very disappointed by my answer because the honest truth is that I don't wear any.

I've struggled with being oily for the entirety of my teenage years and now I've brought those struggles into my young adulthood. Wearing makeup has also always been a struggle because my skin just lifts up any foundations I try.

Now, before you ask if I've used primers and other methods, the answer is yes, I've tried several different methods. From drinking more water to wearing facial moisturizers with oil in them (not something I would really recommend other people with oily skin to try).

But, one method I had never thought of before was adding Hyaluronic Acid to my daily routine.

This idea came from watching one of my favorite beauty YouTubers, Jackie Aina. Not only does she have oily skin, she's also a woman of color making her more relatable.

Time and time again, Jackie had recommended that those with oily skin try adding this product that was supposedly game-changing for her. So, I did just that.

I went to the store and bought my very own bottle of Hyaluronic Acid.

Since seeing Jackie's recommendations I've tried these Hyaluronic Acid containing products:

• Valjean Labs Hydrate Facial Serum
• Pearlessence Radiance Perfecting Serum
• Dirty Works Micellar 3-in-1 Cleansing Water
• Trader Joe's Nourish Hyaluronic Moisture Boost Serum

Some of these I have used individually and others in combination with each other, but overall I've been using the Valjean Labs Hydrate Facial Serum and the Pearlessence Radiance Perfecting Serum as my main source of facial moisture.

My Initial Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Self-care, self-love and self-confidence have been making their mark on the world in the past few years. With the growing prevalence of social networking sites like Instagram, as a society, the importance of showing the highlight reel of ourselves is on the rise as well.

But, those highlight reels come with consequences.

Because we only see what people want us to see, and in reverse only put out what we want others to see about us, our perception of ourselves suffer. That's not a good way to live.

I strongly believe that everyone should live their best lives and the only way to do that is by valuing yourself. Finding that no matter what, what you think of yourself is important. You could have everything thing in the world, but none of that would matter if you didn't think that you were worthy of it.

So, let's talk about it.

What is self-worth?

Why does self-worth matter to me?

When we value ourselves, we feel good about the person we are and the person we're becoming. Because we're ever-growing and ever-changing beings, self-worth is the one constant element that affects how the world perceives us.

I know that other people are constantly saying that we shouldn't care about what society or the world has to say about us, and I agree with that. However, I also think it's unrealistic to say that other peoples' perception of us don't matter because it does.

And that's the catch about it all. Self-worth isn't the ideology that others' perception of us don't matter, it's simply that:

So, the question from here on is:

How do you build your self-worth?

If you're looking for immediate results, you're not going to find it. Not from me or anywhere else on the internet. Building self-worth is a process that takes baby steps.

Here are 3 steps you can start working on to build self-worth starting now:

1. Acknowledge your weaknesses and strengths

"I talk too much and everyone hates me. I'll never be able to get people to like me if I don't stop talking. Why couldn't I be a quiet, shy person?"

The problem with this statement is that I'm denying the fact that maybe my gift or talent is that I can communicate well. So, I had to change this statement.

I now say:

"I'm a talkative person and that may annoy people, but I have the abilitiy to communicate with people in a way that has a positive impact on their life."

I took what seemed like a weakness and turned it into a strength. Just because my gift or ability is underdeveloped doesn't mean that it's bad.

2. Worry not with what you can't control

3. Remind yourself that you're still working on it

We've already covered how to deal with the things we can't control, so let's talk about how to deal with what we can control.

None of us are perfect, no matter what Instagram says.

We all have things within ourselves that we can improve or work on. Sticking with the "I hate my thighs" example, my tip is simply this:

If you don't like it and can change it, go for it. But, the catch with this is to not get obsessed with trying to change it. Again, there is only so much you can control. Do what you can to the best of your ability and then leave it alone.

Treat yourself with kindness and love. Don't tear yourself down by trying to meet unrealistic expectations.

To wrap up this conversation that could go on forever, I want to leave you this thought:

You are a person that is deserving of living your best life while being the best version of yourself. Don't let yourself get in the way of who you want to be.

Work hard and keep trying. Your future self will thank you.

Want to keep this conversation going? Leave me a comment or connect with me via my social media.