Life split into two: home and college

I don’t know if this is a universal experience, but being a freshman in college, I feel an intense division in my life between my home life and my school life. They feel so polar opposite that it often boggles my mind to think that I exist in both of them. When I’m at home, I only ever feel like I exist/live at home. When I’m at school, I can’t imagine living/existing at home. And I feel like I drift between the two but neither fully feels comfortable, and like my life to me. I wonder if this is normal. In case it is, I’m sharing this post, hoping that it resonates with others and makes people feel less alone.

To make my life feel more cohesive when I’m switching between the two (especially like now: holiday time), I’m gonna list the similarities between thing at home and at school:

• Music – the same songs will be with me no matter where I am. I can always listen to songs and feel the same enjoyment.
• Books – I can start reading a book at home and finish reading it at school. Nothing will change about the book even if I change locations.
• My anxiety – even if it might stem from different things depending on if I’m at home or at school, my anxiety will still be there.
• Working out – I work out almost every day no matter if I’m at home or at school. It only differs in the type of workout I do, but working out is always a part of my routine no matter where I am.
• Nature – nature always exists, everywhere. The climate is surely different between home and school, but nature is always there and always there to ground me.
• The sun – the sun shines on me with comfort no matter where I am in the world. It shines on me the exact same way.
• Laughing – I laugh when I’m at school and when I’m at home. It brings me joy and comfort, and feels the same no matter the location.

As you can see, the fundamentals of life are the things that stand the test of change. And lucky for me, the fundamentals are the most important things that make up my life, so even if I change location, the important things in my life remain the same.

This makes me feel better and I hope it makes someone out there who feels similarly feel better too. Unless, of course, I’m the only one who feels that way. In that case, this will just be for your reading enjoyment. Bye now!

– Avery