When we are young and our parents send us off to kindergarten, we begin to start our lives away from our parents. We begin to make new friendships, new relationships, and new beginnings. As a child, I have always been excited to grow up and become an adult and start my own life. Despite all that excitement, no one really talks about the emotional difficulties in the transition from childhood to adulthood.
When I was young, I always dreamed of graduating high school and going to college to become something huge. I always imagined myself having the same friends that I started out with. But that is one of the hardest parts about adulthood that no one really talks about, realizing that, at the end of the day, you only have yourself. Friendships will fade and relationships may end. Groups may divide and views may differ. Families may split, and families may grow. Passions will fade while more may develop. Whatever may change or come your way at the end of the day, you only have yourself.
I moved from Fort Worth, Texas to Warsaw, Missouri when I was an incoming sophomore in 2020. Not only was I struggling with moving from my childhood home, I was dealing with the COVID pandemic. My friends that I had in Texas promised that we would always be friends and stay in touch. We made a promise to each other that we would call each other every other day and keep each other updated on our distant lives. I confidently believed that the promise wouldn’t be broken, but, unfortunately, life moves on.
Still, as I am approaching adulthood, I am mentally dealing with emotions that I didn’t expect. College is something that seems to be an easy transition when you’re young, but I still have not yet made a decision of where I want my next chapter in life to begin. It is stressful to decide which area that will best suit me as well as if I am going to financially be able to afford it. As a child I was always told, “keep your grades up so you will be able to go to college,” from teachers and family, but I have been blind sided by the financial struggle that comes with college, despite keeping good grades.
When It comes to friendships and relationships, I still am realizing that they don’t always last. Friends that you may have had for years, they soon begin to change. Friends decide to go their own path whether you agree with it or not, you have to remember that your life and your mental health comes before all. I, personally, have had to take a step back from many friendships because I have realized that, no matter what advice you give someone, it does not always mean they will follow it and that is something that is difficult to accept at times.
Adulthood is filled with the obvious challenges of learning how to pay bills and working hard for something you want, but it also includes many learning experiences that are not talked about enough, including the mental burnouts that are experienced with trying to find your way through life. Learning how to love yourself and accepting the constant life changes is a big part of growing up.