Hello reader! How is it August already?! Summer has gone by incredibly too fast. I mentioned this in the pervious blog, but I will be starting my second year of college in just a few short weeks. I will be moving back to school on the 6th and as I have been trying to mentally prepare myself, I keep being reminded of how scared I felt this time a year ago. Last year was my first time ever living in a new town and I moved there without knowing a soul! I do have an aunt that lives nearby, but besides that, I felt utterly alone in a new city. Therefore, my heart goes out to all of you who are moving to college here soon, whether it is your senior year and you've been at this school for the last couple of years, or if it is your first time ever moving. It is a difficult transition, but also such a sweet time in your life that you will never get back after it is over. I can assure you that along the way, you will feel all of the emotions. Some moments will be the absolute best and you'll feel like you've never been happier. Then there are the times that you want to curl up in a ball, cry your eyes out, and have your mom come pick you up. I know that I definitely did that a time or two! During my first week there, I cried multiple times a day and would FaceTime my mother every couple of hours. Eventually things started to get better, but man, it was a process! Thankfully, by the end of the year, I absolutely loved it there, had made some of my best friends, and was actually a little sad to be leaving! With that being said, I wanted to come on here today and give you some advice on how to make the most of this transition!
Getting through the bad days
I hate to break it to you, but you will have bad days. I had a lot of them in that first month. I will say, I am a little more emotional than the average person, but as a young adult with all of this new freedom, you too will probably have bad days. Some tips on how to get through them:
Open your Bible: I can 100% assure you, this will help you the most! Doing this reminds you of God's faithfulness which is something you need to know in order to have peace!
Journal: Get your feelings down on paper. First of all, it helps clear your head and rationalize your thoughts. Secondly, you will really enjoy looking back and reading those in October when you're doing SO good, which I know you will be!
Go on drives: Especially if you've never lived in this city before, this is a great way to clear your head and keep yourself busy. Get in your car, if you have one, and don't even turn on the GPS. Flip a coin every time you get to a stop sign. Heads is right and tails is left. That is one of the things that I enjoyed doing the most and it helps get you familiar with the town!
Find an event on campus and go: I will talk more about this later on, but go to events on campus. I know it might be hard, especially if you don't know anyone or don't have anyone to go with, but go! There will be other kids there in your position and it is a great way to meet people! Go have fun! Don't stay locked up in your room!
Sit at local coffee shops: This might not be for everyone, but it was definitely one of my favorite hobbies to keep me distracted or if I just needed to get out of the dorm.
Find a place to hike, a walking trail, or just a place with pretty scenery: It is a proven fact that getting fresh air is good for your mental health, at least I think it is lol. If I was really struggling one day, I would go to my favorite park, walk a couple of laps, and listen to worship music. And, for a bonus, it can be your exercise for the day!
How to choose your company
Something that I truly love about college is that if you meet someone that you never want to talk to again, you don't have to. Of course there are some exceptions, but for the most part, that statement remains truthful. College is so much different from high school in this way. In high school, especially if you're like me and you're from a small town, there are many instances where you have to get along with someone because you see them everyday, or they're in the same sports as you, or they're family friends with your parents, whatever the situation is... it's tiring. But, at college, if you meet someone and you can immediately tell that they are immature and toxic, then you truly don't have to talk to them again. I'm not trying to sound mean when I say this, because of course, as a Christian, we need to treat everyone with kindness and love. But, we are also called to surround ourself with good company because iron sharpens iron, but bad company corrupts good character. This is something that is much easier to do in college when you truly get to pick who your friends are. So how do you do this? Look for these things:
Do they have a good attitude? Are they constantly pointing out everything that is wrong in this world? Or, do they make it a point to find something good in most situations?
How do they talk about others? How do they talk in general? If you meet someone, and the first time they ever speak to you they talk badly about someone else, that is probably an indicator that they aren't a true friend. Also, if they make it a point to cuss every other sentence, or just have corrupt talk in other ways, please don't hang around them much.
These are just a few basic questions that will actually get you a lot further than you think. How someone sees the world and speaks will give you a considerable amount of insight about who they are as a person.
Get involved
Go to events!! I cannot stress this enough. I was so scared to go to events when I first went to college because I kept thinking that I would look like a weirdo going by myself. This is such a misconception. Guys, I promise you there will be other people in your same position, especially during the first couple of weeks! Also, it is a great opportunity for you to get out of your shell. I had to force myself to talk to people and even though it made me want to throw up, I did it. And guess what? I survived. Not only did I not die by talking to new people, I actually made friends! Who would've thought!
Find a club or association to be a part of. College is a lot like high school in the fact that there are many organizations available for students to become apart of. Unlike high school, though, the organizations here are active and they can be a lot of fun! I became apart of "CAB" which stands for Campus Activities Board. In this club we got to voice ideas for campus activities, then we also got to organize and work them. It was a lot of fun and I met 2 of my best friends there! Find something that you're interested in and passionate about! I'm not saying that you have to be the most active member, but it is such a great way to meet new people who you have things in common with!
Find a campus ministry and a biblically sound church
If you are a young Christian going away to college, my number one piece of advice is to find a campus ministry and become the most active in that organization. The people you meet there will get you through the semester!! It is a great source of accountability and good fellowship. In the midst of everything that goes on and being right in the middle of that college culture, it is essential for Christians to have a good group of friends that they can lean on. The majority of my friend group at college came from my campus ministry. I met my best friend there that will without a doubt be in my life forever. I also will be living with two other friends I met there this year. Your weeks at college will start to become a blur with all of the busyness and studying that you have to do. But, meeting with likeminded Christians will renew you and hold you accountable! The ministry I am a part of meets multiple times a week and it is always so refreshing to be poured into by them!
Finding a church that preaches biblically sound doctrine is also a must for a young Christian going to college. I'm not going to lie to you, church hunting can be very difficult, especially if you're doing it by yourself. But, finding a good church that will renew your spirit every Sunday and maybe even throughout the week is critical for your spiritual walk!
The overarching concept behind all of these pieces of advice is that you must be willing to put yourself out there. You will have to step out of your shell and be vulnerable and that's okay! It is actually a very good thing. It will force you to grow into a stronger, more independent person. There will be many times when you feel like you cannot even get out of bed. Those days are hard! But, if you can change your mindset and find enjoyment through doing the difficult things, you will be successful and a better person because of it. Your mindset will get you a long way! Overall, college is an amazing experience. It is such a sweet time of growth and personal development. If you're reading this now and you will be going to college soon, I am so excited for you! You are going to do great! I pray that all of you will make the most of this time in your life. Use it to be bold and share the Gospel! Use it to follow Christ! Always remember, He planted you there for a purpose and now it's time to grow! ☺ ✿ ♡
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