I have been there and I have thought those thoughts too.
When I graduated high school, I was supposed to go to college and have a fantastic time. To be completely honest, I did for a few short months. I thought I had found where I was going to spend the next 4 to 5 years of my life. As time progressed, I started to feel alone and like I did not belong at the college I attended.
All of my friends had gone away too and were posting about being completely happy and at home. I thought I was the only one feeling left out and I had nobody to talk to about it. I made the decision to move home to the college in my hometown and live there while I finished the final two years of college. When I moved back home, to be completely honest, I was miserable there too.
But then I began to do things I would never have thought would be something I could do. I joined a group on campus so that I could write about and share my experiences. I had absolutely no clue that I would be able to write, first of all, and that people would care about what I had to say, but they did. I joined an incredible church group on campus and am now leading high school students.
I have always been strong in my faith, but never did I think I would be able to lead and teach a group of kids. Here I am, a senior in college, and while I miss my best friends at my old school infinitely, I know I made the best choice for me, and I AM LIVING.
I am not telling this story so you can feel bad for me. I am not saying that moving home is the right choice for you. I'm not writing this so you can applaud the fact that I have figured out what I love to do. I am telling this story to the kid who just started college and is still feeling alone. I am telling this story to the kid who feels like she doesn't belong where she is and just wants to go home.
You are not alone. Once you get past the image people put up on their social media, you will find that there are more people feeling the way you do.
You are not alone.
I can tell you that you are not alone. The thing that is tough, though, is that I cannot tell you what to do to fix the way you are feeling. What I can tell you, though, is to do something that scares you.
Put yourself out there. Try something new. You could really surprise yourself. Never in a million years did the little, scared freshman version of me think I would be doing what I am now. Even going into junior year, starting at the new college at home version of me think that I would be where I am now. But in one short year, I went from insecure and scared, to sharing my stories and helping other people.
So, here are some things I know. Here is the advice I have for the college freshman who feels alone: You are not alone. I can tell you that. But I cannot tell you how to fix it and I cannot say that what worked for me will work for you. What I can tell you is that if you do something that scares you, you could really surprise yourself.
“There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don't allow yourself to become one of them." -Ralph Marston
