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A /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/feeling o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f excitement creeps up on you as the idea o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f moving into an apartment sets in. The /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/freedom granted by having a new room to decorate and having complete control over your li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/festyle /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fuels your motivation at the start o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f the year. At the same time, dread /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/finds its home in the pit o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f your stomach as you come to terms with the ultimate accountability you’ll have over your li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fe. This transition comes with the gaining o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f new responsibilities and /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/facing the inevitable /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/feeling o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f isolation.

I went through this shi/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/ft in li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/festyle whenI moved into an apartment in mid-August. The Honors College’s not-so-/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fun requirement /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/for /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/freshmen to live on campus /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/for the /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/first two years ended up being pretty bene/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/ficial in my case. Considering I began my /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/freshman year in 2020 (COVID-year), I only spent my sophomore year living on campus. However, that year o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f experiencing li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fe semi-independently introduced me to new responsibilities- these responsibilities doubled or tripled once I made the decision to leave campus to live in an apartment with a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/friend o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f mine.

The transition to living o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f-campus comes with some expected di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/ficulties such as meal planning, considering travel time when attending classes, and keeping up with the utility bills. I’ve adapted to some o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f these responsibilities by meal-prepping overnight oats /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/for break/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fast so that I won’t have to worry about my /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/first meal o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f the day, waking up about an hour be/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fore classes so that I can get ready without a rush, and taking into consideration the driving and parking time. Keeping up with rent and utility bills is a di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/ferent type o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f stress- /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/financial. Luckily the bills don’t get too high, but the end and beginning o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f each month never /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fails to make me nervous /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/for my wallet. Groceries have also been a less accounted-/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/for expense that has taken its /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fair toll on me. But learning to cook and spending time honing these skills has been much more bene/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/ficial compared to my previous routine o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f begrudgingly dining at our campus’ oh-so-/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/famous grill station.

SomethingI didn’t anticipate was how much time I would have alone with mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f. This isn’t an inherently bad thing- I enjoy spending time with mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f as I think o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f as being pretty entertaining. But when stress is piling on due to impending exams, assignments, and projects, it’s hard to manage the resulting emotions alongside the rest o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f your responsibilities. Even daily activities involving my extracurricular duties become hard to endure when I’m under the weather. Being more isolated than I was while living on campus, I am le/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/ft to ruminate over the current stressors in my li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fe. Living on campus had previously given me a built-in social outlet by having easy access to the best roommates and active campus li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fe. These stressors range /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/from academic to interpersonal so these /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/feelings are hard to escape at times. The negativity and anxiety that builds up with each passing thought o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f these stressors all seem to sur/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/face in these moments o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f isolation. The anxiety seems to boil through me leaving me /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/frozen in this cycle o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f ruminations that only leave me /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/feeling drained and powerless.Ìý

Luckily, I’ve channeled these /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/feelings into a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/few outlets that have improved my coping.

Exercise has always been an activity I’ve enjoyed, and by living alone, I’ve /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/felt very in control o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f my health. The times that I sense that my mental health is beginning to deteriorate are the times that I try to take care o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f mysel/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f the most. By going to the gym about 3 or more times a week, winding my nights down with a cup o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f tea, and indulging in my /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/favorite snacks when I need them most, I prioritize my well-being. I also love Spoti/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fy (this isn’t an ad but I de/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/finitely should be paid to sponsor them considering how much time I spend on the application). Listening to music and learning about di/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/ferent genres o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f music brings a /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/fun sense o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f control and /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/freedom o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f expression. Making sure that I spend an ample amount o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f time with /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/friends has also been crucial. These habits I’ve implemented into my li/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/festyle have brought me to understand that this transition phase is simply the beginning o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f a journey into adulthood that maybe I’m just a bit hesitant to enter. What’s always reassuring to remember is that I’m not alone in this. Most o/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/f us will experience this jarring transition and come to silently respect one another /thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/offcampus/for our courage in getting through it.