When I moved to college, I had it engraved in my head that I was never going back home unless we had a break. All first semester I stayed in Starkville and went home once for fall break. It was easy to not get homesick because I was new to Mississippi State and there was so much going on. Between football games every weekend to a long weekend trip to New Orleans, I did not want to miss out on a single thing. My parents also came up to the football games, so I never really had a chance to miss them anyway. When Christmas break rolled around and it was time to go home for two whole weeks, I stayed out of the house as much as possible. I worked during the day and I hung out with my friends at night. It was hard to get used to asking for permission to do things again when I spent four months going and doing whatever I pleased whenever I pleased. By the time the two weeks were up, I could not wait to move back to Starkville.

As second semester started, I quickly realized that it would be harder than first semester. I got homesick at least once a week and I could not figure out why. I felt immediately stressed when I came back, and the feeling never really left. The amount of times I should have gone home for the weekend, but my FOMO kept me here was abundant. With baseball season starting up, I could not possibly miss a game. All the built up stress finally hit me last week: the worst possible week to hit. Last week consisted of 4 tests, a speech, a visit to the doctor for a cold, and about 10 mental breakdowns. The coming weekend was also when I had PNMs stay for Charity Bowl. I put myself together that Friday so the girls would have a fun time, and I headed home after they left on Saturday. As I entered Rankin County, I immediately felt a flood of relief come over me. Once I got home, I plopped on the couch and did not do much of anything for the entire weekend. My dad cooked steaks and baked potatoes and green beans. We sat by the fire and talked for a while and went to bed at a decent time. Once I got back to Starkville that Monday, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the semester. I did not realize how helpful a weekend away would be, but it truly made me feel so much better. I recommend this for every college student, especially when stress has taken over.