Response to Maya's post about loneliness

In response to Maya's post about loneliness I have to say that college is definitely a tough place to make friends sometimes. Although I spent more time in high school being alone, I notice that when you're by yourself in college you feel more alone. Maybe it's because you're not constantly seeing your family even if sometimes you feel alone despite the fact that they're there. Or maybe because although you see the same people in your classes everyday at college it's different from seeing the same people 5 days a week in high school. Regardless, I felt more alone in high school because sometimes even when I was surrounded with friends, those friendships didn't feel genuine and they just felt like something that existed because I saw them nearly everyday. In college, if you want to hang out with someone or even see them in that case, you have to make an effort and take initiative to actually plan something or grab a meal. Sometimes it gets tiring and then you're left alone in your dorm room with no plans and too much time to spare. But the friends I have made in college so far have been friends that I truly treasure because I know the amount of effort we have gone out of our way to put forth is genuine and creates something long-lasting. But that just makes the times when my best friends are out of town and I'm left alone on campus that much harder because suddenly you don't know how to not be surrounded by people constantly anymore. The first semester of college was full of transitions and constant excitement and trying to go out and talk to anybody and everybody to find the people you feel like you click with. Now that second semester is here, everybody is pretty burnt out from "making new friendships" and you kind of stick with the same group of people you see most often. Over break when I was alone, I found myself googling "things to do in Boston alone" as if the list would really be that much different than if I had just searched "things to do in Boston." But I found myself walking and exploring Boston and didn't actually feel as alone as I thought I would be when I was sitting alone in my dorm room trying to plan my day alone. I have found that being alone and feeling lonely are two separate things and just because I am alone doesn't mean I have to feel lonely. Although it is nice to have my friends around constantly, I find that I am relearning how to be independent again and being ok with having to eat alone sometimes or go on walks by myself. With all that being said, life is still better when done with friends sometimes, so Maya if you ever want to take a stroll or get some bubble tea together I would be down:)