I’m not quite sure that I ever really introduced myself last year, so here it goes. My name is Lanie. I am a sophomore. I am from Mississippi. That’s about it. Sounds pretty boring right? Well, that’s just the standard first-level description of myself.
Getting a little deeper, I guess I am the quiet girl who likes to listen and learn. I love indie music, and I am not a fan of coffee. As this year and last year have gone on, I have noticed a problem within the ability for people to hold relationships in college.
A lot of things with college relationships are somewhat hard for me to grasp because I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for two years now. We met in high school, and in fact we have gone to school together since kindergarten. All of that to say that we never did the Tinder thing.
Fun fact: one time we looked up how Tinder worked because we really had no idea, and I think it was for a paper one of us had to write. Anyways, I feel like college is a time that most people just want to explore themselves in more than one way. And that is totally fine. No judgements here. The thing is though, some people are looking for a seriousness, and some people are just looking for a one-night stand or friend with benefits kind of deal. Either option is fine, but I think each person should be clearer in what they are interested in.
For people in long term relationships, I know, and you know that sometimes it can get tough. We argue over little things. We get sad when we’re busy, but it is just how life works sometimes. Relationships are not always rainbows and butterflies. Relationships take work, and if you are not willing to put in any work, then you need to figure out what exactly you want. Some days your partner may be putting in a little less effort than you, but that could just mean they are having a rough day. It is up to you to figure out if they are okay and what needs to be done because another huge part of relationships is communication. Communication is probably the biggest aspect of any relationship. I know that when either me or my boyfriend is having an issue of any sort, we talk it out instead of letting it fester.
Social media has become one of the greatest issues concerning relationships today. We have become insecure about our relationships when our partners have not been posting enough pictures of us on their Instagram’s, or they broke our streaks on Snapchat. These things do not matter. Social media is just a glorified way of bragging at this point. This causes unhealthy relationships that end up not working because of the insecurities that follow.
Relationships in college can really only work if the two people involved are truly willing to make it work. This involves listening, laughing, crying, sympathizing and understanding at the very least.
