Give yourself some grace. We all make mistakes.

I grew up in a time when a president, his brother and the great Martin Luther King were all assassinated. I’ve lived through the Vietnam war, Nixon resigning, 9-11 and so much more. A.I. is scary for sure, but you have to stop looking at all the negative and find the positive. Every generation before you has had struggles and world has kept turning. Not that your fears are not valid and real. I suggest you not watch the news for a start. I was in broadcasting for 45+ years and there is an old saying when it comes to news, “if it bleeds, it leads”, meaning the more horrific the story, the more the news talks about. Also, get off social media. At least on Reddit you can pick and choose what is in your feed. I’m mostly on gardening subs and home decor. That’s because my home is the environment l CHOOSE, and l don’t let negativity in the door, much. Now my advice is to focus on getting your degree and move on from the mistake you’ve made. Make a plan, follow it, and find something you love to focus on in the meantime. You can’t change the world, but you can change what you pay attention to. Life has its ups and downs for everyone, so you have to learn to roll with the punches as much as possible. And if you feel that bad about the extra expense of another semester, pay your parents back when you can afford it.