How My Life Has Changed Since Starting My First Job
Hello, everyone :)
It has been a little while since I have given you all a life update; things have just been so busy lately. I have been at my new job for almost two months now, and boy has my life changed. My posting schedule has been off because of this, but I'm hoping that switching to one post a week will help me stay on top of things a bit better.
Today's post is just going to delve into my thoughts and feelings on my daily life as a corporate woman, so if that interests you at all, then just keep reading :)
Now that I am working full-time, I don't have a lot of time during the week to chill at home. I wake up at 5:45 am to catch a 7:21am train to the city, and that usually gets me to the city around 9, and then I have a walk to the office that gets me there around 9:15. Yes, you read that correctly, I almost have a two hour commute to and from work each day. Spending three hours on a train everyday might sound relaxing or a time to get a lot done, but it really isn't all that nice. I need WiFi to get a lot done on mobile, but that isn't something I have a lot of access to while on a moving train, unfortunately.
Even when I don't need WiFi, I am usually exhausted or lacking the motivation to do anything productive. Oddly enough, train rides are exhausting. Traveling is a big city is exhausting. I try to keep up with the blog and my social accounts when I'm feeling up to it on the train, but this blog is like a second job, and there is nothing worse than leaving work and starting more work. It is especially exhausting because I don't get home until roughly 8pm, or 7:30pm when I am lucky enough to catch an earlier train. That leaves me with two hours to eat dinner, sit down and chill with the pups for a bit, and then get ready for bed before 10.
I try to watch downloaded episodes off Netflix and or to listen to audio books to make the train ride go by faster, but that doesn't substitute for the fact that I would much rather be in the comfort of my own home during that time. It would make me so happy to be able to go out for ice cream or do something fun after work, but I sadly just don't have enough time for that.
To be honest, it's frustrating because it feels like I don't have much of a life during the week. I would kill to be able to be home earlier so I could sit on the couch for a full hour and relax before I have to get ready for the following day. I try to cram as much as possible into that short amount of time after work, but I never feel like I can get it all accomplished. However, I suppose that's why weekends exist.
Nowadays, I try to make sure I have something to look forward to doing each weekend so I can keep my wits about me. I'm not someone who wants to make her work encapsulate her entire life; having some semblance of a work/life balance is important to me, and necessary, no matter how hard it is to achieve sometimes.
There are some days when I am just beyond stressed and can only think of work, but I don't think that is a healthy mindset to be in. I need outlets to be able to escape work, even if that means sitting on a couch all day watching "Impractical Jokers" with my boyfriend, or "Law & Order SVU" with my mom. College ruled my entire life, but I don't want that to happen to me now that I'm working.
These next few months are going to bring about even more change as I will start paying for more of my own things (phone, car, etc.), which is totally fine, but just a lot to take in. It's all a big learning process as I face this next chapter in my life. In college, I didn't feel as old as I do now, and a part of me is really scared while the other part is ready to be a full-fledged adult.
With all that being said, it is nice to have a steady paycheck coming in. It is liberating in a way, but also anxiety-producing as I feel I am always thinking about money and expenses. I suppose that's just a part of life and something I need to get over, but I am an anxious person, so it can feel like quite a burden at times. I have a tough time living in, and thinking about, the present, which is something I am trying to work on. I really need to work on adopting the "young without major responsibilities" mindset to try to enjoy this part of my life as much as possible because I know it won't last forever.
Even though the hours I work are less than ideal, I do enjoy not having homework or exams to study for. The kind of stress I feel now is a bit different, and while still prevalent, to some extent, less severe than it was in college. The only thing I really miss about school is the easy access to friends. Now we are all off doing our own things, and it is hard to stay as close as we were before. Fortunately enough, internet and technology exists, so friendships do last, but it just isn't the same as sharing an apartment or being a building over from one another. However, I am going to try my best to keep the amazing friends I have as close as I can, no matter what it takes because they helped me get through college and they all mean so much to me.
I also want to get better at keeping in touch with my friends from back home. College also kept me from my close high school friends, but I don't want that distance to persist in this next chapter in my life. I have an opportunity now to make about big change in my life as I have more independence and a greater sense of clarity regarding what is truly important. Grades no longer dominant my entire existence, and now outside of an academic environment, I finally feel free.
Please bear with me as I try to keep up with this blog and keep up with my sanity in the coming months. Blogging can be as escape as much as it can be another task on my plate, so I do things as I can when I feel mentally capable of doing so.
As always, I appreciate you reading and for sticking around!
Stina:)