Tag: lets get real

Categories
Fabulous living

Letā€™s get REAL: Transitioning from Home Life to College after a break

Hello Everyone! 

Happy Tuesday. I hope you week is off to a great start. Classes started back yesterday so I am in the process of getting into a new routine for a new semester. This semester is going to be a busy one, but I have lots of fun things planned, Iā€™m looking forward to what the semester has in store for me. I always love putting everything on my calendar and seeing what things Iā€™ll be doing. There is no better feeling than a clean and organized calendar. You can see my system for organizing my calendar and planningĀ here.Ā One thing I try to do with this blog is be open, honest and real with you all.Ā The good, the bad, and the real life stuff.

Although, the start of every semester is new and exciting I always experience a few days of transition between going from home life to back to school life. When I am at home, I am constantly on the go whether it is at work, running errands, carpooling, or spending time with family. Although, it may seem overwhelming and a lot to manage, I love it. Iā€™ve always been used to a busy home life, so it seems natural to always be on the go and taking care of others and pitching in to help.Ā Ā After all, thatā€™s the importance of family, always being there for each other. When I was home over break I got a lot of family time in which I love. But, when I come back to school after a long break it’s always weird to go from constantly being on the go and being surrounded by my family to just taking care of myself. Itā€™s definitely a lot quieter and I have a lot more downtime. Although, this can be nice and relaxing, at the same time, I donā€™t always know what to do with all my free time before classes start. These days of transition are always interesting to navigate. Of course, I have commitments and meetings that keep me busy and I am catching up with friends, but these days are weird.

I was talking about the odd in between days with a friend and they felt the same way, they described it as the Sunday feeling, the feeling when you know you have a new week (or semester) in front of you and you have a lot to do and you want to get started, but at the same time you want to relax and not think about that long to do list. I was so happy to talk to someone who shared the same feeling as I did. It was encouraging to hear that my feelings and thoughts were shared with someone else.Ā 

I started this blog to share tips and tricks I had with organization, fashion, and fitness but also to share about life as a college student. The good, the bad, and the real-life stuff. I hope if you ever felt the same about the transition days between home and school you find comfort that you arenā€™t alone with your feelings. Now, that I am back into the swing of classes and a new routine, the in between days are behind me.

Always remember that there are so many adventures to be had, but there is truly no place like home. See you on Thursday for new wintery look of the day! Have a great week!

Categories
Fabulous living

Let’s Get Real: Homesickness

Hello All!

Todayā€™s post is going to be a bit more on the serious side. Besides, showing you the latest trends and how to organize areas in your home, I like to be real and honest about what life as a college students is truly like. So, we are getting real about homesickness. What a fun topic for a Tuesday. In all seriousness, letā€™s get real.

Before I started college, almost two years ago, I was worried about being homesick. Many family and friends had assured me I would be so busy I wouldnā€™t be able to get homesick, or it would go away after a month, someone had even told me that by Fall break I wouldnā€™t even want to come home because I would be loving school so much.

They were all wrong.

Yes, I was enjoying school, and I was making friends and I was most certainly busy, but that didnā€™t change the fact that I was homesick. There would be times when I was lonely, or I craved a homecooked meal or I wished I was back in my own room. But, I didnā€™t let that stop me from enjoying college life. Christmas rolled around, and I was told that I wouldnā€™t want to be home for a whole month and I would soon get bored and I would be thrilled when I could go back to school.

Nope, it was still hard going back.

Spring semester brought more hope and more experiences. But I still had my moments of weakness and some tears. Once May rolled around, I was so proud of myself for making it through a full year. I thought, if I could accomplish that I could do anything.

A few months later, Year Two rolled around. It brought new experiences, new friends, new challenges and new beginnings. I didnā€™t get homesick as much, mostly when I was getting dropped off from being back home from a break. I had gotten used to falling back into my routines at home, it was hard to get adjusted back at school. There were times when I was overwhelmed and stressed and wanted a break from school and just to be home, but I had to push through. Thatā€™s the thing about homesickness, you can take a bad situation and make it better.

How can you handle those moments of weakness and homesickness?

  • Have a good cry (yes, we all need a good cry to let ourselves go and feel all our emotions that we keep buried deep within.)
  • Take that time to be alone but not too long, make plans to go out with a friend to grab dinner or go to study.
  • Share how you are feeling. It may be uncomfortable, but who knows you may find someone who feels the same way and doesnā€™t know who to talk to about it. You can be there to help each other through it.

Homesickness is different for everyone, others donā€™t have it all, some only have it until their first fall break, but for few like myself, it never goes away. As I close on my second year of college, I still have my moments where I am homesick. I donā€™t let that dictate my life. I push through the pain, sometimes I cry, sometimes I watch my latest binge show, sometimes a phone call homes helps. But, I carry on, and I keep on living life. As i look back on the past two years, I don’t remember being homesick or sad but rather the joy, the laughter, and the memories that came with friends and family.

Whether you are a first-time college student leaving home for the first time or you are gearing up to start your first job in the new world, we all miss home, it just means you feel so much love from home that it’s hard to be without it.

Until next time,

Elspeth