It happened; it was inevitable. Something, or a few things went wrong and you had a bad day. This is the first one you’ve ever had in this new phase of your life, and it’s radically different from any other bad day you’ve ever had.

Your best friend is not 10 minutes away, your dog is not waiting for you at home, you don’t know a good place to drive or run to to get your mind off of things and you don’t really know what to do with yourself. You’re confused, you’re alone, you’re overwhelmed and you’re feeling a little bit of heartbreak.

Here’s what happens in response: you will question your entire decision to be where you are because you think that it would be better anywhere else. You’ll wish you were with the people who have known you for more than a few weeks and you’ll get homesick, maybe for the first time in your life. You will want to run fast toward anything that’s comfortable.

But, you can’t.

Suddenly, you’re in the middle of discontentment that won’t let up, and the feeling is one that borderlines on hopelessness.

If you’re reading this, still in that new place that you’ve spent time questioning, you know why it’s not hopeless. You know now that your first bad day, or even few days, end. You’ve learned that it’s possible to learn new ways to make it through them, but we don't always realize how pivotal these days are.

Different people see different things as definite turning points in their lives; graduating high school, starting college, getting married or getting a new job stand as some. While these are events that alter the direction of your life, the more momentous days are the ones where you challenge yourself. Your marriage, your work ethic or your independence will be tested, and how you handle them determines who you become.

With that said, your first bad day in college is really, really lonely, your first bad day in college is independent, your first bad day in college will only happen once and your first bad day in college will get you ready for the rest of your life. Handle it with grace and the hope that you are exactly where you are meant to be, because you are strong enough. There are some friends, places or dogs that you’ll never stop missing, but there are always new joys to be found that you’d never thought of.