Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Riverside chapter.

After leaving high school, I decided it was best to cut myself off from everyone in my past. Not because I wanted to but because the end of high school ended up being dramatic and altogether a rather bad experience, so I did what I believed was best. I ran away with the idea that I would go to college and make new friends and start a whole new life, the whole college fantasy that the media sells us. The thing is when you’re in high school and are still in a young teenager mentality you take everything super seriously and you imagine that the best thing to do is to start a whole new life- or that’s what I thought. With that mentality, I went to college not giving much of a second thought to my past relationships and experiences.

Woman with book resting in bedroom
Photo by Sam Lion from Pexels
However, now that I’m back home and stuck in a pandemic I no longer had college and my friends to continue to try and hide the past into the back of my head. Due to the pandemic, I found myself thinking and meditating about how to come to terms with myself and everything I had ever experienced.

woman on bed with coffee
Photo by Kinga Cichewicz from Unsplash
What I came to realize after hours of contemplating and trying to approach my mental health in a positive way is that you have to face your past if you want to get over it. I decided that it was a good time to rekindle my friendship with a few of my high school friends. At first, it was reminiscing through text messages and then we decided to hop on a Zoom call. During the call, we were able to explore the feelings and emotions that led us to fall out and the miscommunication as well. It was eye-opening to see how much we missed each other but also how much we had grown over the years that we had been apart. 

Woman sitting at computer drinking coffee
Photo by Bongkarn Thanyakij from Pexels
It felt as if the two years apart had been a good thing, we had all matured and were in a better place to discuss and come to terms with the toxic individuals we were at the time. I felt that it was a good thing to sit and talk to my former friends, some which will continue to be my friends. With that, I was able to close a chapter of my life and I was able to move on. I believe that it is good to reach out if that is what is best for you and to take the steps necessary to continue your growth!

Paulina Herrera

UC Riverside '22

Paulina Herrera is a junior at UC Riverside studying English. She has spent her time refining her skills as an art director intern for The Naked Magazine and as an intern for The Art Collection, NY. When she is not working on her art or writing you can find her reading copious amounts of comics and books or attending conventions.