Dear Lonely Freshman,
You're half a semester in of your first year of college, you've made the grades you need to so far (okay for the most part), you've joined student organizations, campus activities, off campus activities, etc. You've made friends galore and have never been happier in your life, yet something is missing. A part of you can sit in a room with all your friends yet still feel completely alone, but why? Let me give you a few reasons and a little encouragement.
1. Loneliness comes hand in hand with change.
Finding a new medium for yourself in this time can be extremely challenging. You want to isolate. You lose your desire to do the things that you love. That's okay, don't linger on it too long. Get up and continue on because loneliness is inevitable. You are not alone in this. Almost every other college freshman feels this way too.
2. Don't let the loneliness overcome you.
First off, I want to remind you that you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. Don't let this small bump in the road overcome you because you will get over this bump. You will come out stronger than ever before and look back to see where you were and where you have now come.
3. It's OK to be lonely sometimes.
There are times when it is okay to be lonely. I know for me after being in big social settings, I have to be by myself for a minute or maybe an hour to recharge and refocus my brain. Just remember, being lonely for too long can be a bad thing for some and others not so much.
4. Embrace your loneliness.
Like I said, being lonely is okay. Embrace the time you get to be alone. Embrace the fact that you have time to think about things on your own and form your own opinions. Embrace the time you have alone because you are able to recharge yourself. Don't feel like you have to be with people 100% of the time. I promise there is nothing that important that you miss that will be better for you than your mental health.
5. Don't isolate for too long.
There are people around you who care deeply for you whether they are friends in college or people from back home. Open up to them, they are there for you to talk to and be there with. Get out of your room and don't allow yourself to be only focused on the things going wrong in life.
We were made to be social beings. We are human and we thrive in community so get out there and get plugged in to one or two things on campus. I promise it will make your college experience much more enjoyable.
Sincerely,
Your Fellow Lonely Freshman
