Hey besties! Welcome back to this week’s edition of Paige’s Page! I am so excited to write this week because this is the first edition since we have an official date and time for Paige’s Page Live! As you may have seen in last week’s edition, this super fun event will be on November 10th, at 10 p.m. in the Red Door! I obviously cannot see you adding it to your Google Calendars but I’m hoping, because we are all best friends, you are doing that right now… right? Speaking of friends, this week we are talking about friendship (seamless transition right?). Being around your friends everyday can be the most fun part of being in college but it can also be incredibly difficult when you may need space or when there is drama. A lot of you seem to be dealing with this right now, so let’s get started!
Hi Paige! How do I reconnect with a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while?
Hey bestie! This is such a good question! Obviously, I don’t know the context of why you lost touch, or when, but most recently this happened to me with the p*nd*m*c. I lost touch with a lot of people I was friends with in high school from just not reaching out, or because I disagreed with the way they were handling themselves with regard to many issues of that time. For the most part, I haven’t really tried again with any of those people. However, the ones I have reconnected with are because I’ll see them post on social media, or I’ll look back through old photos and think to myself, I wonder how they’re doing? Sending a text asking them to catch up or telling them that you miss them is always worth a shot if this is a relationship you really would like to have. They may feel the same way and have just been scared to reach out. So send that text, email, carrier pigeon, whatever makes you happy, because it might make them happy too.
Hey Paige, I went through a really rocky breakup recently, and some of my friends are taking the side of my ex. They have not spoken to me since we ended things. What should I do?
Hi bestie, sorry this is happening, I’m sure this is really difficult. The ending of a relationship is really upsetting, and you need your friends to lean on in times like this. It’s very frustrating that you can’t rely on these friends to get you through this. I would hope that you have other friends, not connected to your ex, that you can vent to and cry to, and those are relationships you should try to rely on to get through this. With regard to these friends, they don’t really seem like your friends right now. In my experience, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they support others when they are going through things. Obviously, everybody struggles and communication about your capacity to deal with other people and their problems is important. However, if they feel comfortable going to you for support, you should be able to come to them at this time also, and if you can’t, maybe these aren’t relationships you should keep. Obviously, losing a relationship and close friendships at the same time is really difficult but you have nothing but time to grieve. Take things one step at a time and lean on the people that let you. You got this!
Hi Paige, I am living with my best friends this year and I am so excited and I have been looking forward to it all summer! It has been a blast but sometimes I need my space and I am having a hard time communicating that to them. How should I do this?
Hey bestie! This is such a great question. Living with your closest friends is so fun. I’m doing that right now and like you, I love it, but I definitely understand what you are feeling. Sometimes you need time to process and feel—which I think college generally helps you avoid. You may even just need some time with a closed door to just sit and exist. If you live in an apartment with a common space, maybe discuss with your roommates that when you are in there you are down to be social and when you are in your room you just want to be alone. If that doesn’t work for you, maybe close your door when you don’t want to be around other people. If you are in a dorm where you may not have your own door, then maybe work with your roommates to make a schedule so that you can all get what you may need. If they have class during a time when you don’t, take that time to be alone in your space. If they like to do work outside of your room, maybe talk to them about times that they will be out so you can be alone. But make sure you give them the same opportunity. If you randomly need this time and space, be kind and ask for it as this is their space too. Being open about your needs is really important to making and keeping your living situation fun for you and the people you live with.
Paige’s Page Live is officially happening! Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. in the Red Door! Can’t wait to see you all there!
You can submit questions to https://tinyurl.com/paigespagequestion. It will also be linked in my Instagram bio— @paigeweisburg and in The Muhlenberg Weekly Instagram Linktree.
