Something I didn’t really consider about your freshman year of college: you are literally never alone.
Like, you live with another person in a glorified box. You go to classes, and lunch, and meetings and dinner, all with other people, and then you come back to your box, and there is another human there, because they too live in that box. For extroverts, it’s not a bad life! For introverts like me, it is a full on struggle.
I love my roommate a whole lot — we get along so well, and I can’t imagine living with anyone else, but this semester made me realize just how much I value my alone time. I’ve figured out that I need my space, so that I can recharge, and re-become a nice and pleasant person who enjoys spending time with other people.
My advice to anyone like me?
Find yourself a spot.
A spot of your own, that none of your friends know about and can’t bother you. Pick a spot to go to when you’re feeling overwhelmed and just want to be by yourself.
Go way far back in the library and sit between the stacks. Find an unused classroom on the top floor of a building. Go to a coffee shop downtown.
Go to the local crepe place, order the same thing every time, bring your homework, stay for like 2 hours, and become friends with the employees. (actually, don’t. this is my spot.)
Point being, let yourself be alone. Your friends are not going to forget you exist if you skip dinner that one time (or twice, or three times…). You are going to remain their friend, and be a much more pleasant friend to be around if you have your time to recharge — so let yourself recharge. It’s fun, I promise.
