Growing up, I have always had really bad social anxiety. The thought of even saying a few words to a stranger made my palms sweaty and a pit form in my stomach. As a result of this anxiety, I had a pretty small friend group throughout middle school and high school.
Alongside that, most times I was too anxious to want to go anywhere, especially by myself. This resulted in me staying in my room all the time, just watching movies.
As I got older, I grew tired of staying in my room all the time. I would see other people my age going out and doing things with their friends on social media, and it would make me sad. It made me feel like I was missing out since I was not going out like them and doing so many different things.
COVID-19 hit, and then no one could go anywhere; it made this feeling even worse for me. Throughout COVID and even after, I spent my time working and attending college online, so I was quite busy. I still had that feeling / fear of missing out.
When I decided to transfer to Oswego last year, I was very excited and eager to begin this new journey and have these amazing experiences.
I was very excited, but I was also very nervous. I was nervous I would not make any friends, and I would still be alone and not making any memories.
A year later, and I have made so many amazing new friends and memories. But one thing I have learned through it all, and something I still continue to learn is that it is also okay to do things alone, and you can still have fun.
A lot of people, especially in college, are scared to do things alone, which I totally understand. It can be very scary. When first coming here, I still was a little bit too. Slowly but surely, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and have attended events alone.
Doing things alone can help you learn things about yourself, who you are, what you like, and maybe even what you don’t like.
Not even that, you can learn more about what is around you, be more attentive to things.
There was one time, I decided to take a walk to Breitbeck Park in Oswego by myself, not even listening to any music, just taking everything in. To my surprise, there was a community event happening in the park that day, with food, animals, activities and local businesses with little stands.
I would normally never go to something like this alone, but I decided to check it out, and to my surprise I had a great time. I felt like I was able to see and do a lot more than I would be able to if I was with friends.
It may be scary, especially at first, but try something new by yourself. Whether that’s as small as going for a walk around campus, or going out to dinner by yourself.
It is okay and good for us to try new things. It is okay to do things alone.