It never fails that I say I’m going to pack for college early so I can enjoy my last few days at home without having to tear my room apart and sort what I’m taking and what I’m leaving, but then I always end up leaving it until the last minute. I dread doing it, not just because it takes a lot of time, but also because it is the very last thing I have to do before leaving my summer behind. So, just like grief, there are five stages of packing for school, also known as mourning your summer vacation.
48 Hours Before Departure: Denial.
You claim that you’ve got time. You believe that you won’t wait until the last minute, and that you don’t have to–you’ve got days until you actually leave. You make plans with friends, spend time with family, and play video games. You’ll be fine.
12 Hours Before Departure: Anger.
You look at your room and find that you haven’t touched anything. Nothing is out of your closet, you don’t know what shoes you’re going to bring, you haven’t even done your laundry, and your family is knocking on your door, asking if you want to eat dinner with them. You find your blood boiling because, first of all, don’t they know you’re busy? And that turns into, Why did I do this to myself?! Why?! I’m going to be up all night!
Five Hours Before Departure: Bargaining.
You start to make deals with yourself. “If I finish at least packing my underwear, I’ll allow myself a couple of hours of sleep. I’ll wake up early and finish everything else.” If that doesn't work, you get on your knees.
Four Hours Before Departure: Depression.
You still haven’t finished everything and, at this point, you’re not sure if you’re even going to do it. You’re just lying on your bed, surrounded by mountains of your stuff. You have no desire to even go to school, and no motivation to get off your butt and do what you’re supposed to do. All you want to do is rewind a few hours so you can actually start packing or, better yet, go back a few months and restart your entire summer.
Two Hours Before Departure: ACCEPTANCE.
This is when you give up on sleep and just pack like you’re supposed to. You’ve accepted the fact that you’ll have to sleep on the plane or in the car, or just blast loud music, so that you can stay awake, since you’re driving yourself.
As you pack up your bedroom, the sad reality hits you in the face - these three months of Netflixing, adventuring, and spending days at the beach are over. So I believe there’s a natural subconscious blockade that keeps all of us from actually packing when we are supposed to.
However, don’t fret. When you’re going through these stages of mourning, know that you’re not the only one suffering from this grief. On top of that, once you get there, you forget why you were even dreading leaving your home behind.
