Everyone has days where they don’t feel like they belong. You could wake up in the morning feeling like you don’t belong in your bed, you don’t belong in your body, and you don’t belong in your own life. In college, things can get even more out of place with the burden of wanting to discover yourself and find your place in the world. But sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we deserve to be in college as much as the people around us.
 1. DON’T listen to the voice inside your head.
Ever get that nagging voice in your head that says, “You’re an imposter.”? You’re not alone. The pressure of finding yourself is aggravated in college. You might feel like everyone around you has already figured themselves out and feel like they belong more than you do. But the truth is: we’re all imposters. All of us at some point feel like we don’t deserve to be where we are. It’s that stupid voice of ours though. That same voice that constantly puts us down and makes us feel inadequate. Treat that voice like it’s a zit. Try to get rid of it but at the end of the day, if it doesn’t go away – ignore it and move on.
 2. STEP out of your comfort zone.
Everyone’s running around forcing themselves to try new things while you might feel that you aren’t talented enough to do anything you haven’t done before. Even though someone else might have had a head start, everyone started with that nervous first day. So, go join that Pilates class even if you think you’ll faint. Go join that Engineering club even if you think you’ll be the only girl there. Go to that fancy restaurant even if you have to go alone. Just go. Keep moving and channel your inner GO-ddess (sorry, I had to).
 3. DON’T be afraid to fail.
Okay, failure is definitely scary. Whether it’s learning a new instrument or taking astrophysics, none of us want to risk failure. We’re constantly under this race to win that we forget it’s okay to do things and not be the best at them immediately. Take your time. You might win or lose in the end, but either way, you’re experiencing things that you never have before. Doesn’t the idea of living life without the fear of failure seem so much more liberating?
 4. WRITE down your feelings.
When nothing else seems to work, it’s always cathartic to just take a pen and a journal and rant. Rant like nobody’s watching. Rant like you have nothing to lose. Rant like every word you put down will take away all the negativity in your head. Being honest with yourself is especially hard when you feel like you don’t belong. You might tell yourself a million reasons why you’ll never belong but when you read these thoughts aloud, you slowly realize how much of a jerk your mind can really be.
Finding your niche in college can be hard. But honestly, as long as you have yourself – you already have a place where you belong. You’ll never leave your side and you’ll always belong to yourself. So, keep that head up and walk like you belong everywhere and nowhere all at once.