Olivia

Hey all,

College is great. The independence, new friends, and new experiences are all amazingly mind blowing. Unfortunately, there’s also another side to college; loneliness. For me, I haven’t been homesick since I arrived at the University of Iowa on August 21st. Today is the first day I truly felt homesick and lonely. I suppose it may have been because the prior night hadn’t quite lived up to expectations or the fact that I knew my sisters and mom would be all together without me. But I think what made me feel so lonely was the realization that in essence I am alone at college, without the support system I had throughout my childhood. I called my mom today and upon hearing her voice burst into tears. I just realized that my parents are no longer in the same vicinity as me, but an entire car ride away. I love my new friends, don’t get me wrong, I just miss the comfort-ability of my pre-college life, knowing people that I know will be there for me one hundred percent. Recently, I came across a situation where I had to walk back to my dorm alone and it occurred to me that I know virtually no one here that I could have depended on to pick me up. I can only depend on me, myself, and I, which is quite a daunting thought.

I suppose what I’m trying to convey is that loneliness is just a part of the college experience. You may look at your Facebook one day and see all the pictures of fellow college-goers laughing and smiling and think to yourself, “I must be the only person feeling lonesome,” but #REALTALK everyone at some point or another will feel lonely. If feelings of loneliness ever feel like they’re becoming too much, do not be afraid to reach out to a professional/friend/parent/etc. It just isn’t healthy to dwell on your loneliness. As Andre Maurois once said, “The first recipe for happiness is: avoid too lengthy of meditation on the past.” So get out, go for a Starbucks, text your new friends, and focus on your future! Just remember that we are so lucky to be able to achieve a great education at this esteemed university.

Thanks for reading!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 7th, 2013 at 8:09 am and is filed under General, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.