Why There's A Silver Lining To Your Post-Grad Loneliness

In college, being the life of the party and having a million different friends was always a plus. The endless ragers, fast food binges and all-night cram sessions never left one feeling an ounce of boredom.

However, there is an uncontrollable shift that occurs between life in college and life after college. The parties die down, your friends separate and you are left wondering when and why this happened. You thought your undergrad bonds would never die and your party stamina would never slow, but to your disappointment, they both did.

Truthfully, you can’t really blame anyone but yourself; you’re tired more often, you’re always busy and you’re endlessly trying to figure out how to pay next month's rent. Things have obviously changed and you often find yourself reminiscing about your college glory days.

Yet, while you may miss the parties and ample amounts of free time, you can't forget that there are only better days ahead. Being alone and on your own in your 20s is not a bad thing; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

When you were in college, you were surrounded with a million different people, all shoving ideas and perspectives down your throat. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to be exposed to a wide variety of cultures and influences, but this made it difficult to fully focus on you. Everything was so new and intense that you stayed busy just trying to process it all.

Now, you are finally alone and able to concentrate on your own ideas, goals and decisions. You can actually start making the moves to become the person you’ve always wanted to be, not the person you think everyone wants you to be. You are free to go about life as you please, without feeling obligated to anyone… ever.

This is the prime time for you to reflect on what you just experienced and based on that, what you want to experience in the future. Not only is post-grad life perfect for this, it’s also great for learning about the awesome culture around you. When you’re alone and not distracted by a million people, you can actually learn about the city and community you've immersed yourself in.

You have the chance to take in what you would have normally allowed to just pass you by. This also gives you the opportunity to live in the moment, essentially making anything possible and allowing you to find appreciation in the simple joys you may have previously missed.

Being a loner is not something that should be feared. It’s a chance to figure out who you are and become the person you want to be, rather than the person who has the most friends or the most impressive hangouts. Post-grad life allows you time for introspection, learning about the world around you and determining how you want to fit into that world.

So, chill out! Don’t stress about spending time alone. The future is not something to fear — even if it looks like you’ll be by yourself for a bit.

It’s a golden opportunity that leads to marvelous experiences, better friends and most importantly, a more exceptional you.

Photo via Tumblr