Dear College Peer Who Feels Alone For The Summer,

I know how hard it is. After a long semester filled with a crazy combination of many different hardships and wild nights out, all you want is to return home and share these struggles and laughs with the people you surrounded yourself with while growing up. You crave the simplicity of younger days where inside jokes caused blissful laughs with the people you called your “BFFs.”

But now, after some time away from the people you used to spend every minute with, you realize that you’ve grown apart from these people. Whether it be a dramatic falling out or a simple change of maturity level and goals, for whatever reason you no longer have that solid friend group nor are you a part of the dynamic duo that you were once 50% of.

So now what? You’re left waiting for a call that won’t come, a reply to a text you know they’re going to leave on “read.” You’re left alone without any hometown friends.

As you scroll through social media, you immediately feel that pang of jealousy when you see Instagram posts of everyone having what seems like the time of their lives with their long-time friends. You see a montage of photos from all of the good times people are having together – the late-night drives, the long road trips, the days at the beach, the nights under the stars, the ice cream shop visits, the parties, the shopping sprees, the days spent poolside.

It is all of the spontaneous things that you want to do, but have no one to do them with. Your heart sinks a little more each time you see your old friends still together, but missing one little thing… you. The saddest part is, they likely aren’t missing you in return, probably not even thinking about you once being a part of them.

You’re left disappointed, a summer passing without all of the bucket-list adventures being fulfilled. After long days at work, the last thing you want to do is sit at home, you want to enjoy the nice weather and all of the fun opportunities summer has to offer. But you aren’t going to do that alone. You decide that it’s better to do nothing than to do something alone.

That new term you hear people use, “FOMO” aka fear of missing out? Yeah, that’s totally real. And you aren’t experiencing the fear part of it—you’re living the reality of it.

But, even though the lack of people to surround yourself with may seem like it will make summer a drag, that isn’t necessarily true. Instead of surrounding yourself with people, surround yourself with positivity.

Use summer to be the best version of yourself. Work hard, and get things together for your future. Become more in touch with yourself and your emotions. Focus on your passions or look to find what those passions are.

Be the best and happiest version of yourself this summer. You can do that without the people who went from best friends to mere acquaintances. When you think about the great times you had with them, remember that they are memories to hold close to your heart, but they’re in the past for a reason.

Your summer will only be as great as you try to make it, so you can either wallow in the fact that your hometown friends are no more, or you can use this as a growing and learning experience that will inspire great things for your future.

Choose wisely.

Sincerely,

A Girl In Your Shoes