Since I have been at college, I have struggled a lot with my self-confidence. It’s hard adjusting to a new environment filled with brand new people who you are constantly trying to impress. It’s really difficult when you’re out supposed to be having fun with all of your new friends but find yourself looking around and comparing yourself to other people. I don’t want to spend my nights looking at how much cuter someone’s outfit is or how much prettier or skinnier they are than me, but sometimes I find myself doing just that.
I know I’m not the only one who has felt this way and I know it’s a very normal instance for most girls (not just in college). I think the difference between high school and college though is that everything in college is such a huge adjustment, so you can either learn to accept these changes for what they are and realize that it is okay to struggle with self-confidence issues, or you can push those feelings down until it boils up in an unhealthy way. For most of my first semester of freshman year, I chose to shove most of these feelings down. This ended up being pretty debilitating for me, and I had to find another alternative that allowed me to learn how to balance out these feelings.
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This alternative was me coming to the terms with the fact that there will always be someone out there who is prettier, skinnier, smarter, more athletic, has better clothes than me, etc. Being in college and constantly being surrounded by top notch people (in every sense of the word), is hard. It’s humbling. It brings you down to a point of realization that your world is small, and not everything might be as easy as it was for you in high school.
Although all of this humbles you, you must also learn to try your hardest not to compare yourself to others and categorize yourself. I recently listened to a great sermon by Robert Madu that talks about the dangers of comparison. Not everyone’s path is going to be the same as yours. You might achieve things sooner or later than other people. Milestone events in your life might happen at many different times than those around you. So as best as you can, you have to trust that God’s plan is greater than what you can imagine right now, and every step you have taken so far and will take next is perfectly planned.
That being said, try your best to enjoy your path. It’s yours alone and so unique, and God has so much set up for you that you’ll get to experience so soon. Accept things for what they are now, but look forward to the future with excitement.
