Are you the oldest of your siblings? Or if you're not the oldest, do you have any younger siblings? For those of you that do, you'll understand where i'm coming from, and for those of you who don't, i'm sorry you have to miss out on such a great opportunity of being a big brother or sister. I'll admit at times I don't always enjoy being the oldest, as it comes with much responsibility, but contrary to everyones belief the thing I love most about being an older sister is the ability to share my experiences with my siblings and let them know they are not alone.

So, to the oldest of my younger brothers, who just started college, I would like you to know, you are not alone.

You are not alone in feeling excited about finally getting out of the house and experiencing life on your own. Its a great thing to finally feel independent and take care of yourself. I felt the same way going off to school. I chose a school not too close to home, but not too far away either. Sometimes you just need some space and time to find yourself, and thats ok. Though, as I went out and had my experiences and did what I wanted, I slowly started to realize that I will always need mom and dad. It may be in different ways than I once used too, but I will still always need them. So its ok to have fun and experience life, just know that when you do finally realize you need them more than you thought, it's ok, you are not alone.

You are not alone in feeling that at times, you are drowning in school work and you never get a break. College is not meant to be easy. It's something you really have to work at. There will always be classes that you've done everything you possibly can to get a good grade in and it still won't happen. There will always be professors that make you want to pull your hair out. Chances are you'll barley pass class at some point in your four years, and there will probably be a class you have to retake. I hope you never experience these struggles, but if you do, I just want you to know, you are not alone.

You are not alone in feeling like the anxiety of everything is taking over your life. Being a student and an athlete is very demanding. It takes a certain type of discipline to not only push your body mentally every day, but physically push your body to its limits as well. You are strong and very talented, and I know you are capable of doing this, but if the anxiety ends up winning this round and you have to choose, that's ok. We may experience our anxiety in different ways, and I know sometimes school is even harder for you, but I want you to know there are so many other people that are feeling the exact same way, including myself. You are not alone.

If there ever comes a time where you just not longer know what to do, take a break. There will always be something that needs to be done or something you could be doing, but just take a break and forget about it for a second. Take the time to get some rest, take a long shower or call home. And even if it's the middle of the night and you need someone to talk too, I'm only a phone call away. I'll always be here as reminder that you are not alone.

Love,

Your big sis.