School breaks are a time to take a pause from our busy schedules and really show our appreciation for the good things in our lives. For college students, it is a time to get all your high school friends together and share the juiciest stories you have.
But as I heard more and more, I felt worse and worse. I kept thinking that one friend had more fun than I or that another was more successful. They all seemed to have better social lives, grades or friends than I did. All of a sudden, this fun activity didn’t feel so fun anymore as I compared myself to my friends.
You may find yourself in a similar situation when you head back home for the holidays, so this article is here as a reminder that you’re doing just fine.
It’s hard not to think about where you stand next to your peers. We always ask each other how we did on tests because we want to know if we did better or worse, we eye each other’s belongings while noting that they’re more or less expensive than ours. It’s part of human nature, but you don’t have to give in to it.
For one thing, it’ll only make you feel bad about yourself and who would want that? Don’t dismiss your own accomplishments and experiences just because someone else’s seem more interesting or more important than yours.
You may not go out as much as your best friend, but you still know how to have a good time when you do. You may not have straight A’s like them but that doesn’t matter, either. As long as you do what you love and love what you do, you’ve made it. Don’t let someone overshadow your own self. You deserve way more credit than that.
Besides, you’re where you are for a reason. Everyone gets a quarter-life crisis when they get to college. Did I pick the right major? Did I pick the right school? Will I ever get a job? These questions are inevitable and only get worse if your friends have their lives together, or if you think your friends have their lives together.
Comparing your situation to another’s is like trying to get a square peg through a round hole. You made your own choices and will make more in the future that landed you wherever you ended up. Take pride in everything you’ve done and keep in mind that you’re here to do it for you. Don’t bite off more than you can chew when it comes to your college career just for the sake of impressing your peers. Everyone has their own path to follow and yours is just as amazing as the next.
And you never know, it’s more likely than not that your friends think the same thing about you. Maybe they envy the way you get along with your roommate or maybe they wish their courses were as cool as yours. We get so caught up in wanting that and needing this that we don’t notice when it happens to us. Don’t lose sight of all the amazing things you’ve done because your eyes are on some other prize.
College is the biggest time in your life to change and grow in to the best version of yourself. You can’t get from Point A to Point B if you don’t allow yourself to get there, though. When you make plans to meet with old friends, don’t let that little voice in your head ruin the moment.
