It’s the start of a new school year and you’re probably the most excited that you’ve been in a while. You’re starting to get into a routine, join new clubs and activities, and make lots of new friends. Then the worst thing imaginable happens…someone from your hometown passes away.
This happened to me last year during my freshman year, and then once again a few days ago. Last year, during the second week of classes, my Grandpa passed away after having a stroke. I was completely devastated, and an overall mess.
I cried for almost a whole week without ever telling my roommates what happened. My roommates and I all laugh about it now, but they thought I was a lunatic back then. I called my family at least three times a day and they assured me that my Grandpa would want me to not skip my classes because of what had happened. So you can probably guess what I did… I went to all my classes and literally stared at the wall and cried.
Fast forward to this year, I was once again excited to start college. Then it happened again. I got a call from one of my friends from home to tell me that one of my best friends had been killed in a shooting. Immediately I broke down and cried for a solid 2.5 hours. After thinking about how I handled this situation last year, I decided that I had to take a different approach.
Now that my sob story is over, here is how I mentally and physically took better care of myself:
- I told my roommates: They immediately comforted, supported, and even cried with me. And for that, I am eternally grateful. No matter how long you’ve been living with your roommates, you have to vent/cry to someone.
- I went shopping: Even though retail therapy doesn’t fix everything, I found it helpful because it took my mind off of things.
- I saw Cù the therapy dog: Nothing can replace cuddling a dog (who is literally trained for stuff like this!!)
- I went to all my classes: It’s really tempting to skip classes, but it will only make things harder for you once you come to terms with everything that has happened.
- I let people help me: When people asked me what was wrong, I was honest and didn’t shut them out. It’s so much easier to go through hard times when you allow people to help you.