Leaving a place you genuinely enjoy spending your time at can sometimes be one of the most difficult concepts to grasp. Typically, reality doesn't hit you until you've hopped in the car driving away to wherever you're going next.

So maybe the phrase I'm looking for here is "You don't know what you got till it's gone." While this is completely true, one thing I've realized after stressing over leaving my home is that it causes you to come to terms with just how lucky you are for your current circumstances.

Think about it: If you always want to leave where you are, how satisfied can you be with your life at the current moment? If there isn't a part of you that aches at the thought of leaving a certain location with your friends, loved ones, or family -- then that place can't mean that much to you.

Before I left to go off to college, I took a second to appreciate how lucky I am to have a place that makes saying goodbye so hard. This mindset doesn't happen overnight at all, but with time and lots of adapting -- it makes you more grateful versus being sad over departing.

While there are so many things that can change over time, distance can cause a person to realize a multitude of different things. For example: That one person that you can't wait to get away from and thank God almighty you've already had your last encounter with them for awhile may not be someone who you'll spend time with when you return.

On the other hand, distance away from those people who you miss the second you step into your car on the way to another place shows how much they mean to you. Thinking about how nice it'll be to see them after time passes away from one another will make you appreciate their presence in your life even more so than before.

Quick side note: Self-discovery occurs when you're forced out of your comfort zone. If anything, when you're leaving this place focus on living in the moment wherever you are. It may feel awkward at first, but it'll help you grow as a person whether you desire to or not.

Spending a few months away from a place that's so appealing may mentally be difficult, but how lovely will it be when you meet back up again with your home? Even though the easiest thing to do may be to dwell on the negative of leaving a place you enjoy so much, think to yourself how lucky you are to have a life that you've had the pleasure to make an immense amount of wonderful memories at.