Silence isn't a bad thing

It may be tempting to fill the silence in your dorm, apartment, or walks between classes with music. It can be scary to be left to our thoughts. But there is something to be said of the calm of silence. In the silence we are not distracted. We can observe our surroundings while walking or take time to reflect in our dorms, and evaluate our goals. The silence provides us with a lot of options to spend our time.

Go out with friends, make new friends, or explore a new interest

The world is full of opportunities to explore. Most colleges have hundreds of clubs and organizations to take part in. There are clubs for sports such as gymnastics, soccer, and even Muggle Quidditch (it's intense). You can join a wilderness group, an a capella choir, or an improv team. Even if you don't end up joining any clubs, you will have met a lot of new people. Now you will have friendly faces that you recognize around campus. In the first month of college, I attended at least six club meetings. While I don't regularly attend all of them, I know I have friends in many places.

Take the opportunity to have some self-care time

Sometimes life can be crazy and overwhelming. When you're on your own, you have the perfect excuse to use some extra time to treat yourself. This could mean buying yourself an extra cup of coffee in the morning, or doing a face mask in the evening before bed. Meditating or writing in a journal is a great option to reflect and create some calm.

You are not alone

You will always have people with you no matter what. In an age where we are so digitally plugged in, it is impossible to be more than a phone call away from mom and dad, or a text away from a friend. So when the silence becomes deafening, you miss your friends from home, give them a phone call. If you don't live too far away from your friends or family, schedule a time to meet up at a restaurant, or take them on a campus tour. If that isn't an option, see if some of your new dorm mates want to hang out.