"Your stress in high school is temporary! Everything gets better after you graduate and grow up! You'll feel like a new person!"

I specifically remember my freshman year New Student Seminar teacher saying this. She had this smile, a pitied look, sickly sweet. That comment she made, it caused me to cringe. What do you mean "everything gets better"? As far as I know, everything gets a whole lot worse. In high school, you don't (usually) have to pay electricity bills and taxes and work every day to support yourself. Your parents (once again, usually) will provide for you. After you graduate, it's like a rude awakening.

You're thrown into this world similar to a baby out of the womb (but less slimy and weird) and your eyes and brain have to adjust to a brand new experience no one has warned you about. Procrastinating is no longer a cute and quirky thing to do, now you literally can't. You need to work every second to save up for a tank of gas so you can drive to work every day.

Here's the thing, though, it's like a little secret that no one knows: growing up is kind of fun! Like, you're scraping away every day to work to provide for yourself and it seems like a war. However, when you grow up, most everything you own is yours. You get to go on that first shopping trip where you buy plates and cups and all the things you wanna have in your house, and that's super cool! No one else gets to choose for you! You could even get "Spongebob" themed bowls for yourself, but that's probably not the best grown up decision you could make.

No one can tell you how long you can stay out and you have to come back home, that's your decision and your life. The cool part is, you can still call your parents if you want and ask "what's up?". You can also play music loud for yourself all the time and no one (except maybe neighbors) will be bothered because it's your house and every day can be a party.

Even if you're feeling homesick or scared, you can visit your parents. You can choose your apartment or wherever you pick to live. You can make it all cute and amazing, you can express yourself through it. The best part about living alone? If you buy cookies, no one will steal them.

I don't think things get better after high school. I think things get a whole lot worse. You've got bills, taxes, gas money, food money, rent, loneliness... I could go on. But you know what get's better? Your ability to handle tasks and problems independently and confidently. You're a strong person! You can handle all of this. You took on high school, didn't you? This is just a few levels higher and you just have to adapt to your surroundings.

If all else fails, you can eat only Top Ramen and sit in a wallowing pit of depression, procrastinate important things like writing an article or getting ready for work, watch "Friends" for the 20th time, or strictly listening to that one album you love so much over and over and over. That's what I've been doing anyway!