To some, this piece may come off as being a bit cynical, but leaving people behind has been something that has inevitably happened during my college career – and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing, either. “Leaving people behind” can be taken a few different ways, whether it be leaving people behind that are negative energies in your life or physically leaving people behind after moving away. Both have valid reasons for taking place, as well as some upsides to them.
Cutting out the bad
An important part of college is the amount we grow as individuals, and the act of leaving people behind (in both capacities) really tests that. Personally, I have been working on getting rid of any negativity in my life by making some decisions on who I keep in my life. This came to me one day when I was getting ready to leave for college – why keep people around if it brings you down?
That question may seem a little harsh to some, but in reality, it is something that we all need to consider for our own overall wellness. It isn’t easy to cut ties with people, especially those that you once considered to be close to you, but it can be somewhat of a relieving experience in the end. This is even important in terms of schoolwork because we cannot dedicate much capacity of our brain to dealing with difficult people or situations in our lives. Instead, we need to find a balance between healthy relationships and our responsibilities tied to school and work.
Along with feeling better overall, you really get to learn a lot about yourself after going through something like this. College is the perfect time to be selfish because it really helps you come into your own and be who you are meant to be. By evaluating who you spend your time with and who you continue building relationships with, you really dig deep into who you are as a person, and at the end of the day that is what matters the most.
Leaving the good to become better
On the other side of the coin, leaving people behind when moving away can be an emotional experience, but can have some positives to it as well. As someone who is about to graduate, this has been weighing on my mind for some time now. There isn’t really any way to fully prepare yourself for having to say goodbye to the ones you love, but there are ways of thinking that can improve your outlook on the situation.
Thinking about all of the opportunities that come along with moving to a different area can be one way to improve your outlook. As I move on from Laramie, everything is going to change, which is terrifying and exciting all at the same time. Terrifying because I am not necessarily ready to say goodbye to what I have known my whole life in Wyoming, but exciting because there is so much more out in the world.
One of the best ways to really push yourself into finding out who you truly are is to take big risks, such as leaving people behind and moving on with your life. We have been told for so long that it’s not good to be selfish – but in college, isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? One of the first steps in embracing this self-realization process is to let go and truly focus on you.
Some ties are harder to cut than others, but no matter how difficult it is at the time, remember that in the end, you are doing yourself a service by allowing yourself to really grow and be who you want to be.
