Growth is one of the most import things that comes out of being in college. We grow drastically in knowledge, personality, spirit and of course…deep in debt. But one of the hardest growth processes we experience is within our relationships, both romantic and platonic. We all start off college excited to venture into the vast social world of our university making friends, and sometimes enemies, along the way.
We can get so caught up in the social aspect that we lose sight of what’s important, ourselves. The struggles of college, the people you find yourself surrounded by, or even your inner thoughts are enough to make you stop one day and say: “What am I doing?”. You begin to contemplate what’s important, who’s important, and why they are in your life. I like to think of this point as a “mid-college crisis”, sort of like when you’re a 40 year-old trying to regain control of your life by splurging on a fancy car but much sooner and less expensive. Making friends throughout college is important but so is cleaning out your friend group. Ridding yourself of toxic relationships is key to maintaining healthy ones. If you ever find yourself surrounded by people who don’t have goals, lack motivation, or put your harmful situations…let them go.
It can be difficult to cut people off, but once it’s done you’ll find a new sense of freedom, space for people who deserve you, and more time for bettering important relationships. One day you’re a freshman with tons of friends, the next you’re a senior with a small circle of friends looking back on how thankful you are that you’ve grown enough to end relationships that did not benefit you.