I broke up with my boyfriend because college is the time to be selfish

I am in college. A pretty damn good college, a top party and top academic university. There are a lot of places I want to be in a few years and a lot of goals I want to achieve, and quite frankly none of them are going to happen if who I am is packaged and defined by my high school sweetheart.

Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with him, no traumatizing abuse, not even regular quarrels. He was smart and considerate, but at the end of the day he was six hours away. I felt a piece of me was always extending itself to somewhere and someone, and I had no control over this feeling.

I would be at game day tailgates checking my phone to see how he was doing, I would text him every time I got somewhere after a drive, and I hate to admit it, but I was afraid I wouldn’t study abroad at risk of not seeing him for over a month.

Our relationship was controlling my entire life and even though I was in total awareness of it I couldn’t stop it.

So, we ended it.

No, I didn’t drown my sorrows in a tub of ice cream or a bag of chips. I didn’t even watch cheesy rom coms to make myself cry – and neither should any of you. Go out, drink and dance harder than you have in a while.

Will your friends have to take away your phone to make sure you aren’t thinking to text him? Yes, for the next fews night or weeks, but hell it’ll work. You will be invigorated and be pursuing moments and interests you never would have had in a relationship. Live in the god damn moment for once.

College is a time to intertwine yourself in new experiences (and people). You are surrounded by more people your age, with the same interests as you, the same energy and the same vibrance. You will never have all of these qualities any other time in your life.

There’s a reason why people have the lamest and strongest sense of nostalgia spread across their faces when they talk about their college years. It’s because it is an awesome, never repeatable time in our lives. I am now just taking advantage of it and so should you.

The week after the split I applied for that damn study abroad trip I was too afraid of going to. I made out with guys and I got some cute ass underwear just to make myself feel sexier and stronger than ever.

As rusty as I was at flirting, I was loving getting back into the swing of laughing, dancing and just messing with guys (free drinks are the best). I refused to look at myself the year of graduation with a yearning to go back and fulfill every little bucket list item. The time to be selfish is now.

Despite the urge towards adulthood we feel now there will be more time than we may even like later in life to be settled and dedicated to love. A time without constraint though, is something that is fleeting, and needs to be taken advantage of by all of us. We are young, hot, free and strong. Own it. Be selfish.