It’s all changed but it’s stayed the same
I moved out of my family home at the start of 2023 about a month before i turned 19. I graduated at 17 and took a gap year the following. In which, I worked two jobs back to back, repeatedly got sick and went through a break-up. I was so ready to leave the environment I'd grown up in and see what else was on offer.
So I started paying bills and rent, found a job and decorated my new room. I was now three hours away from my favourite beaches, the comfort of knowing everyone and being known (everyone is famous in a small town). I was moving for uni but also to be able to grow up away from the eyes of people who have known me forever and in a way escape the feeling of being stuck that fostered within me over the last few months.
I would always travel home on days off, missing what I had chosen to leave behind in hindsight it's part of the reason I didn't feel so at home in my new residence. I think the change I've faced has come from within (not to say environment doesn’t play a part) but I don’t think moving out/away from home is as transformative as it’s made out to be, it's just the next step for some, and just happened to be the one for me.
Since moving I’ve removed a lot of people on socials, unfollowed certain influencers and dismissed posts simply because it fuels my FOMO and exacerbates this feeling I have that I'm not doing things the “right way” or being young the “right way”. I know this is bullshit rhetoric and as much as I love social media and acknowldege that it is a highlight reel, I think it does a great job of showing you how people can and are just doing life better. I could just be too into my own head, however, if this works for me it works for me.
LIVING INDEPENDENTLY
likes
having my own coffee machine
not asking permission
student discounts
dislikes
My advice is to go with your gut and don't push yourself to consume things that make you feel lesser. Learn how to be alone with yourself and accept that forming new friendships requires putting in the hours. Be excited, be nervous and take time for you.
WITH JESS