I truly believe in a mindset called “small-town syndrome.” It is this feeling that nothing can replace the quaint corner you call home. This leads one to never desire to leave, and if they do leave, they will find their way back to where they started. Small-town syndrome is perfectly understandable. After spending the majority of your life in a small town, it is harder than it seems to leave the place and all the people that cared for you and grew along with you. Starting out on your own without this support system seems unthinkable.

Do not get stuck in this frame of mind, completely romanticizing small-town life. Small-town syndrome is the biggest inhibitor to becoming your best self. When you leave your small town, it is imperative that you detach yourself from it. If you constantly long for what was, you will never give yourself the chance to experience what will be. This will seem intimidating at first. Soon, though, you will realize that taking a risk and being somewhere new will be one of the best things you can do for yourself.

This new place away from your small town will fill you with life and love, as this is where you will learn to navigate the world by yourself for the first time. Never before this will you have had complete control of yourself and your future; whether it be from something as simple as what you may have for lunch later in the day, to where you see yourself within the next year. The people you will meet and the experiences will have are guaranteed to shape you more than your small-town syndrome. These things will lead you to challenge various philosophies, and try new things. Most importantly, breaking out of your small-town syndrome will lead you to realize that it is okay to express yourself and your emotions. It is okay to feel accomplished, ashamed, or angry, and project these things outwardly. This is all part of growing into the person you were meant to be.

Think of leaving your small town as a new, better chapter of the same story you have been telling, rather than starting an entirely new book. It is wrong to dismiss and deny the impact that growing up in a small town has had on your life. It will always be a part of you. It is also wrong, however, to cling to this and keep yourself from seeing what else life has to offer. Be grateful for the small town from which you came, but do not be afraid to expand your horizons. Overcome small-town syndrome sooner rather than later. You’ll thank me later.