The Art of Being Alone

If you’re anything like us at The Edge, one of your biggest fears coming to college was probably making friends. Moving to a campus where you know basically no one can be super intimidating and trying to force yourself into deep friendships can be even harder. But, you’re here now, and most likely, you’ve made some pretty amazing friends. 

So now that we think the difficult part is over, we realize it’s just getting started. Your friends want to go out every single night. Of course, you want to deepen these new friendships, so you keep saying yes to the late nights week after week. It’s not that you don’t love a good frat party, it’s just that you’ve only slept six hours the past three days and you’re beginning to fall apart.

Saying no to someone asking you to hang out can seem like the ultimate party foul. How can you say no when friendships are the most important thing on your mind right now? Learning to turn down a request to go out can definitely be difficult, but once you do, it’ll make your time spent with friends even more special.

So your friends have all gone out, and you feel super excited about your night in and getting some work done. But, your mind starts to wander and you find yourself wondering what exactly your friends are doing. What frat did they end up at? What time will they be back tonight? Is it more fun than last night? You start wishing you could know all the details of your friends’ night out. Once you see their selfie on Snapchat you officially feel like you’re missing out.

The FOMO has set in and you’re wishing you were out partying with your friends. Even though you’ve had a good, productive night, you feel like you’re missing out on important memories. This is the most frustrating part of trying to decide what’s best for your own mental health. 

Conquering the fear of missing out can take some work, but once you do, you’ll feel content both socially and emotionally. The only way to do this is to find friends who support your decisions and to be comfortable with yourself.  The friends that will actually be valuable to you will be the ones who don’t make you feel like you’re missing out. 

Being alone helps you dig deeper into who you truly are. So stay home, watch your favorite Netflix show, and, whatever you do, don’t check your phone. It’s your time to breathe and find out what’s most important to you.