“Only three months and four days until thanksgiving break,” I reassure myself as I tuck into my brand new sheets and turn off my bright pink “J” LED light that hangs over my twin bed.Â
It’s the first week of college and the only thing I’m excited about is what to bring to Friendsgiving in November with my high school friends. If it wasn’t for the list in my notes app labeled “remember,” filled with affirmations that I have been meticulously compiling over the past four years, I’m not sure I would have even made it this far. Yes, it’s still only the first semester of my freshman year.Â
Since this is my very first Her Campus at PSU article, it seemed only appropriate to try and write something with the potential of reaching at least one audience who this could benefit. So, if you also find yourself counting down the days until the return to normalcy, keep reading.
- College is temporary
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The average life span of a human being is 77.5 years according to the CDC. That makes our four years in university roughly 5% of our lifespan, on average. While this may seem completely irrelevant, it puts feelings and situations you believe will last forever into perspective, and is (hopefully) more effective than your parents merely telling you that “it will get better with time.”
Because of this small percentage, it’s more the reason to break free from our perceived comfort zones and live in the moment. In the bigger picture, college will soon be only a memory. And, it’s up to you to dictate what sort of memory that will be.
- Your commitment to your future should be greater than your attachment to your past
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If you’re anything like me, throughout the the first few weeks of school you’re thinking more about your hometown than ever before. Visions of hanging and laughing with your best friends or even having a simple meal with your family replay in your head on a constant loop.
But don’t worry, this is completely normal. According to the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the mental health of students, 94% of college students experience homesickness over the first 10 weeks of school.
Homesickness can quickly morph into all kinds of concerns; Will I ever find the same bonds in my friendships as I had at home? Will I ever feel like I belong here? Will I ever be completely comfortable again in my surroundings?
Based on what I have heard from others, this is the reality for most of us. It’s crucial to recognize that while the past is an important part of our lives, it shouldn’t prevent us from reaching for new goals. To break free from the cycle of homesickness that consumes me, I set new goals for myself and started looking forward to future events and achievements.
- Nobody cares as much as you think they do.
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“I think I look so bad” is a classic statement that continues to come up around my friends both in college and at home. This is always followed with a “why?” from someone that usually provokes a flood of illogical reasons that could easily be countered with the simple phrase “nobody cares as much as you think they do.”
Reflect on the amount of time you spend thinking about yourself everyday, whether it be on a specific insecurity or just something simple like what you feel like eating for dinner. I’m assuming that this is a pretty significant amount.
If you apply this to everyone around you, it can be easily inferred that people don’t really have that much time to judge all these things about you when they’re probably hyper focused on that tiny little pimple above their left eyebrow, and absolutely nobody can see it anyways.Â
- People never forget the way you made them feel
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Not long ago, I found myself visibly upset as my friends comforted me at a football tailgate. Mortified at the thought of anyone seeing me like this, I quickly wiped away my tears, attempting to regain my composure, completely unaware of the stranger approaching me.
“I noticed you seemed upset,” she said, “and while I’m not sure what happened, I think I have something that might help. Guess what’s inside this cup.” We fell silent. She then pulled out a white egg from her paper cup and held it out in front of us.
My friends and I burst into laughter at the unexpected egg. “Nobody has ever guessed it right. Feel better, girl,” she exclaimed cheerfully as she walked away, leaving us smiling.
In a few years I may not recall the exact details of that moment, but I will always remember how I felt afterwards. At a time like this, when others struggles often go unnoticed, it’s vital to recognize that our actions can have a lasting impact on those around us.
So, if there’s only one takeaway from this article, let it be to always be the girl with the egg when it’s needed the most.