I know I'm not the only one out there that has, at one time or another, felt a little out of place. You look around to see your friends and other people pretty much living the same lifestyles and, for lack of a better phrase, "living their best lives." You may be left feeling like the odd ball out. Or maybe the thought that you have a bad personality (or whatever insecurity plagues your mind) is the reason why you aren't right there with those other people having the time of your life. You may be sitting at your desk one night finishing up the semester of assignments thinking, "wow, night number 14 of sitting at home doing nothing exciting as you scroll through Instagram and Snapchat stories seeing all of the fun everyone else is having.
My diagnosis? FOMO or fear of missing out. You have fallen victim to what many of us are all to familiar with and that is the feeling that you are missing out on life to do something seemingly less interesting. Most weekends you see a never ending album of your friend going out to frat parties or checking out the local club/pub scene. You're getting messages about all of the dates your friends have been going on throughout the week while the only date you've had is the one you've made with a frozen dinner, your dog and the latest episode of whatever you might be bingeing.
You want the truth? You aren't missing out on anything, well maybe you are missing out on a little bit of something, but in the grand scheme of life, you really aren't. I know what you're thinking. "But Molly, I go through the motions of a boring life routine that consists of going to work, coming home and working on homework. Everyone else is out having the time of their lives and truly living." A word of advice? That is OK. It is perfectly normal to have bouts in our lives where we are in a mindless routine. The thing to remember is that you are paying your dues now. By putting in the less than fun hard work now, you are setting yourself up for a future, a lifetime in fact, of having the time of your life. Your moment will come.
Something I've learned throughout my years of being in college is that the students surrounding you come from all walks of life, as do the friends you make. Sometimes we forget this, creating room for criticism towards ourselves about our lives not looking the same as someone else's. It is in these times that we need to be kind to ourselves and each other. So , Ross and Rebecca don't have to work while attending university and have all of this extra time to do whatever they want while you are working harder than ever just to make ends meet financially? Yes, that is a harsh and challenging reality, but you will get through it.
The truth is, we all want to be experiencing life and all the great things it has to offer as much as we can, but that isn't reality. What also isn't reality is the idea that you are being left out or being left behind. In this moment, you are simply on a different path than some of those people around you. This is just a blip in the entirety of life. You will have moments of rest and more freedom with your schedule. Your time will come when you won't have such a rigorous and "boring" routine.
For now, be at peace with your lifestyle. Find fun ways to change it up here and there without getting off track. Give yourself a little bit of grace during the hard times. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, allow yourself a break to live, and I mean truly LIVE. Little moments away from your reality to experience something adventurous and exciting is good for the soul and will accumulate to a life well lived with many memories to share.
