As I am reflecting on last week’s Family and Friends Weekend, I am realizing how emotional it really was. I experienced a roller coaster of emotions before, during, and after and it is honestly a little difficult to process all my thoughts. While I am writing this from a freshman’s perspective, I am sure there are plenty of older students who feel the same way. Going from seeing your parents every day to seeing them once a month is a difficult adjustment for anyone to go through, but the good thing is that we aren’t alone!
If you read my previous article about asking for help in college, you could probably tell that I am a very stressed out freshman who is struggling through Pre-Med. I am going to be honest: before Family and Friends Weekend I was constantly crying and nervous to admit to anyone that I was having such a difficult time. I would say to myself, “You’re a college student. You’re 18. Suck it up. You’re fine.” But the truth was, I wasn’t fine. I was bottling up all my emotions and it wasn’t healthy.
By the time Family and Friends Weekend came, I was so excited to see my parents. Even though I was a little nervous to admit how miserable I was, I decided it would be the best thing to do. I told them everything and it made me feel so much better to get it all out. The best part was that they were so supportive. My mom always tells me, “If you’ve done the best you can, then worrying won’t make it any better.” I try my best to remind myself of this whenever I am stressed.
It was weird to hug my parents and say goodbye Sunday night. We had such little time together and it was hard to truly enjoy their company because of how stressed I felt. They calmed me down, but I was emotionally exhausted.
Now we are here, a week after Family and Friends Weekend and it feels like I saw them a year ago. I feel less stressed and things are definitely going better. I cannot wait to see them for Thanksgiving. But let’s be honest, am I more excited to see them or all the food I’m going to eat? (Just kidding, just kidding. I love you, mom and dad.)