Remembering high school, classes did not let out until the middle of June. For us, as college students, we are already on our third week since classes ended for the winter semester. Instead of worrying about the impending fall semester, I think it’s best to focus on the present—enjoying our summer.

I should mention that I am taking summer classes—two at the moment, to be exact—but summer classes somehow manage to be less stressful than taking a full course-load during the academic year. Maybe it’s just my joke-cracking professors, an expedited schedule that leaves less room for homework, or the breeze felt by the wind on the way to class in shorts. Whatever the reason, time hardly feels problematic in this situation. My days are spent playing video games, hanging out with friends, watching movies, writing, and going to class four nights a week. The weekend is spent at work, which hardly poses a threat to my love of summer thus far.

Maybe the main reason this topic even entered into my thought process was the fear of the future. “Fear” may not be the best word, but I speak of the stress that will come again during the next academic year. A thesis to be completed (which I am currently doing research for) by February and 20 credits in my final semester in the winter laughing maniacally at me whenever I think of the future. Then I think to myself, “but it will all be over next May.” But will it? Will I look for a job immediately? Will I continue my schooling? How will I do either of those? What do I do if I don’t have much experience in my field? And what about my student loans?

And that, I think, is why I decided to write this. We all have our “impending futures” to worry about, when our current state is really all we should focus on. That isn’t to say we should ignore potential improvements we can make to our lives either, though. I think it is best that we ponder our futures while focusing on everyday tasks which can potentially improve our lives. Worry too much about our future, and it will cause great stress. Never think of our future, and we will never be motivated to try harder. Finding the right balance can be difficult, but I believe that doing so can make us happier.

Getting back to my original statement, don’t worry about things that can’t be changed right now—the fall semester, student loans, etc.—and just enjoy our summer. We have a long summer ahead of us, after all. (And don’t you even dare say summer hasn’t officially started yet!)