By now I am sure we are all well aware of how much of a tricky time college is. The transition of leaving home to a life on your own, when you’re used to always having someone there then trying to navigate the early stages of adulthood on your own – it’s scary! We are discovering who we are and who we want to be and that’s a lot more stressful than it sounds! However, the ups and downs in the world of relationships are what can be one of the biggest problems young college students face!
Kind of weird, huh? All the things in the world we could be worrying about during this time in our lives, and we are over here losing sleep, hoping for a text back! It’s nothing to be ashamed of though, if anything it’s expected. In high school, I would usually move from crush to crush and was never able to hold a stable relationship. A part of me did want to be in a relationship, but eventually, I stopped caring so much because I developed this, “it’s alright, I’ll probably meet my soulmate in college,” mentality. It didn’t help that this is the agenda that is pushed onto most kids growing up – at least for me it was! Parents, family members, and family friends shared the idea of, “don’t worry, just wait until college! You’ll meet someone in no time!” or “That person isn’t here, you’ll definitely meet in college!” This idea stuck with me (obviously) because fast forward a few years, and it felt like I practically walked onto campus the first day just waiting to be serenaded! I wish they would’ve also told me how hard of a journey love really is!
The advice that I was given growing up wasn’t all bad though. Some of them were actually right. I did find love and that someone they had been referring to I actually did find in college – that someone was myself. I didn’t realize how much I had neglected my own heart and soul until the only thing I had was my own heart and soul. Moving away from everything and everyone I was familiar with was scary and lonely. I quickly realized that all this love I had stored within me that I was trying to give to someone else was wrong and the one person who needed all of it was me! In college, I found the beautiful human within me who I definitely would not have found in high school, middle school, or anytime in between.
Just know that, it’s okay if you’re single in a time when it feels that no one else is. It is also 100% okay if you’re almost done with college or are already finished and have yet to meet someone. Know that the timing is always right, and if you’re feeling rushed or helpless, understand just how young you are! We are so young, and we shouldn’t be worried about significant others, but rather about living our lives the way we have always wanted to! We’re finally on our own and have the freedom to do what we want and choose what we want the world to recognize us as. Just because it’s taking us a little longer to find our last piece to the puzzle does not mean we are broken, maybe it just means we still have some work to do.