If you are anything like me, you have grown up with the desire to do everything yourself with minimal to no help from others. It may be because of the pride in knowing that you achieved something on your own, a belief that nothing will be done correctly unless you do it yourself, or you were put into a situation where there is no other option than to be independent. While being independent is most often only thought of as a good thing, people do not frequently realize the struggles that come with being self-reliant.
1. Money
With being independent means paying for everything by yourself. This means paying for your car, your apartment, your schooling, gas money, etc. There are only so many hours in a day, and with being both a full time college student and working full time, it seems like you never have a moment to just breathe and instead are wishing for more hours in the day. With money also comes questions about how to handle it. Should you get a credit card to build your credit, and how would you do that? How do I create a budget and how do I know how much to budget for everything? It seems like questions rarely lead to answers, just more questions that you stress over for days until you finally find what you are looking for or give up.
2. Balance
Being both a college student and having a full time job, it is hard to strike a balance. You have class all morning and then work anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, but then you also have homework to do and papers to write. But what about socializing and free time? What about exercising? You know that you need time for yourself and time to see those close to you in order to remain in good physical, emotional, and mental health, yet you are forced to choose your studies and work over your health because not having a job means not being able to afford your home, your car, or to simply buy food for yourself. School is your only way out of your minimum wage job and the means to have a future where you can afford to have more than the bare necessities and time to relax. So for the time being, you continue to struggle, knowing that one day soon enough things will be different.
3. Pride
After years of doing everything on your own, you get used to handling things by yourself and refuse to ask for the help of others. Even if you are really struggling and facing more hardships and roadblocks than usual, you cannot even fathom the idea of asking for help from anyone. You see it as admitting defeat or weakness, and that is the last thing that you want others to think of you. You want those around you to view you as strong, successful, and unbreakable. Even though you know that everyone needs a little help from time to time, you would rather struggle alone than admit it to others. But this pride also reminds you of how far you have come without relying on others for all of your needs. You do things on your own, and you are making it. Through all of the hardships, tears, and sometimes loneliness, you would not have it any other way, and you are proud to call yourself independent.
