I was going to title this “An Open Letter to my Fellow Wildcat,” or “An Open Letter to my Fellow College Student,” but the truth of the matter is life is difficult for everyone. As my fellow seniors and I are about to leave this alternative universe where we drink cheap vodka at Libby’s followed but a few slices — or whole box — of DHOP, it’s just going to continue to become more challenging.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be good times too.
I decided to write this because I read Yik Yak (more than I’d like to admit), and I noticed that there are more than a few posts regarding some students feeling like they don’t belong or feeling depressed. Yik Yak is anonymous, and many people feel as though they are safe in saying how they feel. These people are calling out for help without even knowing it. It’s important for them to know that their voice is being heard and that they are not alone.
We don’t know who is posting these things and we also don’t know if other people in our lives are feeling this way. So this is for you, all of you: for everyone that has ever felt like they don’t fit in or they don’t have anyone to talk to and unfortunately, I think that everyone has at one point felt this way whether we know it or not.
It’s okay to feel alone sometimes, I think we can all agree that we’ve been there. We can have the most amazing friends and family in the world but every once in a while it seems like things just aren’t going your way. That’s life. There’s ups and downs, and that’s okay.
The point of this letter is to let everyone know that it’s okay to feel that way. It’s okay to feel off for no reason and to feel like you have no one to talk to in yout life. But it is not okay for you to continue to feel this way. If you do, it’s important to seek help.
I also wanted to draw attention to the fact that you may be reading this, but you don’t feel this way. You feel like you fit in comfortably into your life — and that is so awesome — but you may have a very close friend that feels alone. It’s important for everyone to be good to others. I understand that we all make mistakes and have done things that we are not necessarily proud of, but that’s what makes us human. If we were perfect life wouldn’t be as much fun.
The moral of my little rant is that you’re not alone. Someone loves you and someone is there for you. If you’re upset about something, talk to your friends and family.
If you’re not, make sure your friends and family know that you love them. Even if you’re not the kind of person that is necessarily “soft” with that mushy stuff with your friends (I know my friends and I definitely don’t), that doesn’t mean it won’t brighten their day for you to let them know how much they mean to you.
Do it today.