Disconnecting By Reconnecting

Friends come and go, but family is forever. We at The Edge are sure that at some point in your life, someone has told you this. Whether it was a family member, or a close friend, this quote has an incredible amount of truth to it. Living far away from home, or even for you readers that live in this wonderful state, being away from family can become progressively more difficult.

Coming from experience, as a sophomore, living with six other girls is a lot, especially when you live next door and across from even more of your best friends. Alone time becomes a luxury that seems hard to capture, and can cause stress and mental fogging, even when you are surrounded by your best friends. What one can forget is the comfort of being around your forever best friends, and reminding yourself of what Kesha called “the good old days.”

Reminiscing on simple things such as family traditions, embarrassing memorabilia, that amusement park or movie theater you went to every week can bring in memories of bliss. Especially when you are away from home for 3 months at a time, occupying yourself with classes, clubs, and friends, can take your mind off things, but can also come with disconnection.

From personal experience, entering sophomore year fully in person after two years of zoom classes and minimal social interaction for some time, it was a big change. I was so thankful to be living with my closest friends, and enrolled in classes that I was passionate about and would help me discover my major (thank goodness they did). While I was finally in a new environment, taking on my “Elon experience,” I found myself disregarding my mental health, and prioritizing less valuable things in the front of my mind.

Distractions can sometimes be beneficial, but not when you are beginning to lose your sense of self. I was lucky enough to talk to my wonderful mother who had the idea of surprising my dad in New York for the 50th anniversary of the marathon. While I thought nothing of this 3 day break, I was excited to go home and see my family. What I did not expect was how amazing it was going to be for my head.

While I did miss my friends back at Elon, I got to spend the necessary time with my family that reminded me of how secure and amazing it feels to share a laugh with my grandparents, a joke with my brother, and movie time with my parents. My dad’s shining face when he was running the marathon made all of my choices worth it, and simultaneously, gave me the mental break I needed to think.

Whether you are feeling incredibly stressed, mentally down, or just like you need a break, call that person, and reconnect with those feelings of being a kid. Whether or not that is with your family, we at The Edge recommend taking that break for yourself, because nothing is more important than sharing with the people closest to you, and yourself.