Kindness is key.  The willingness to supersede frustration, impatience and negativity in the pursuit of kindness is something that everyone especially people our age often struggle with.  The necessity for kindness becomes astronomical in times of societal crisis, when people are hurting during times like these the things they say and the things they do often come from a place of fear, an area that rarely aids in the pursuit of kind behavior.

As we sit inside for weeks on end it becomes all too easy to translate stress about graduation, grades, loss of income, frustration with your family and what feels like endless other factors into negativity often resulting in a feeling of hopelessness.  

Feeling disappointed, sad, angry and anxious about the early end to the year and what is to come next fall is totally normal but at a certain point it is important to begin adjusting your mindset.  Despite the fact that we have no control over what happened this year each and every one of us has complete control over our own actions.  

There has never been a better time to reach out to your friends and tell them just how much you care about them, an undeniable part of what makes the loss of the spring of 2020 so difficult was the lost memories to be made with your friends as you all move on together.  

Now is the time to be kind to one another, no one has it easy right now and recognizing the fact that we are all struggling opens this huge potential for connection over a common issue.  Be kind to your peers and keep in mind that negativity and anger come from people who are struggling and hurting.  

The more you take care of yourself the easier it is to be kind to others, focusing on being the best person you can be makes a remarkable difference on your presence in the world moving forward. Despite the fact that things are far from perfect it’s important to keep in mind that people are trying their best, take that extra second, be patient, seek to understand and give everyone some extra room for error.  Be the best person you can be.