College
Kid Dreads Going Home for Break
Dear
Harlan,
I
dread going home on college semester breaks and get into a
major funk at the end of a semester because of it. Even though
I'll make this visit short, I still can barely bring myself
to pack and do the things that I need to do. It's not an emotionally
great place for me to be, with a history of abuse, but I can
handle it for short periods of time for the sake of having
some ties to my family. Right now, though, I am really feeling
lousy.
Breaking Point
Dear
Breaking Point,
This
is the other homesick, sick over going back home. You might
sleep in your old room, in your old bed, in your old sheets,
but you're not the same person. And that's why you should
have a support system on call 24 hours a day, to remind you
who you are today, just in case you forget. When you get home,
tolerate it, observe it, journal it. When you get back to
school, make an appointment with the therapist on campus.
REALLY look at the past, understand it, take control of it
and learn from it. Then, when you go home again, have a plan
and deal with it better. Of course, this is only after putting
new sheets on your bed (those old sheets are too old).
