The semester is halfway over and I’m still alive. After missing my first day of classes, losing my driver’s license and my college ID – I made it. And it was a struggle. The great part is now I can look back at these things and laugh. But some stuff was hard to deal with. I think moving away from my best friends was the most difficult.
My besties are fantastic, so they drove four hours to help move me in. The entire time we kept saying, “It doesn’t even feel real!” It really didn’t. Not until I hugged them goodbye and realized we couldn’t do everything together anymore. It took a couple of weeks to adjust. I thought soon I would go home and resume life with my friends. On top of all that, I felt guilty about making new friends.
So how do I deal with this? Can I manage to keep up with my life and the wonderful people that shaped me? Absolutely. First, I had to step back and self-reflect. Realizing that it’s okay to get close to new people was very important. It doesn’t mean other relationships have to change. Then, I had to find time to call them. Hearing their voices is honestly worth any sleep loss. It doesn’t matter if it’s five minutes or three hours. But college is stressful, and there just isn’t enough time in the day for everything. Snapchatting and texting every day makes it easier to stay updated. I even love those, “hey guys, love and miss you!” messages. It’s a small reminder that we’re still here, no matter how busy it gets.
Always try to do something special every now and then. I put together a care package and wrote notes for a friend who was having a bad week. It wasn’t an expensive gift but it made her happy. Get creative and write letters. Any little thing is appreciated. If you’re without your besties take it one day at a time. Catch up often and make time to talk to them. Let them know nothing has changed!