A College Student's Mental Health Story
Mental health awareness is on the rise on college campus'. I never considered how my mental health would change once I moved away for college. And too my surprise, it wasn't until last summer that I truly started to check in to my mental health since I had started.
When I first started college, I was an overachiever - I would juggle a full-time class schedule, job and internship in a single semester like it was cake. During this time, I truly felt I had purpose in my life. As I climbed the ladder of achievements, I would reach higher and higher. It was seldom that I wouldn't reach my goals. But, as they say, "with great power comes great responsibility." I started to notice I had put an immense pressure on myself to achieve the next best thing. I needed to achieve it or I would feel like I failed myself and everyone that admired and cheered for me.
The summer after my junior year, I decided I wouldn't take on a summer internship, instead I would do summer classes to climb the ranks in the newsroom sooner and finish my degree faster. During this time, I went through a break up and felt homesick since it was my first summer away from home. A large part of my support system had been taken and the other half of my support system, my family, was five hours away.
The mix of personal changes and realizing I was entering my last year of college before "the real world" triggered anxiety in my every day life. I started to notice myself losing momentum. I didn't want to climb my achievement ladder anymore, I was ok with staying stagnant. I didn't have the energy to go to those morning gym classes anymore, I would rather eat less to keep my figure. I didn't feel like going to work, I'd just call in "sick." I didn't want to work on that passion project anymore, it could wait. Little by little I noticed my daily routine and drive shifting but I didn't react, I just let it happen.
My anxiety got worse every single week. At first, I only had anxious thoughts but soon enough they turned into anxiety attacks. Before I knew it, even the days that I did decide to show up for work, class or social events, I would let the anxiety consume me and I would have to exit early in order to go home and deal with yet another anxious episode.
It was after one these anxiety attacks in a public bathroom that I knew it was time to talk to someone about it. More than ever before, college campus' are providing resources to help you cope your mental health. Some resources can include on-campus counseling or tech-savy conseling. I used to see therapy as weakness but I realized this wasn't something I could control. Somewhere along the way, I had lost control of the wheel and I needed professional help to get back on track. Now that I have made the most of my resources and my support system, I share my stories so others will be inspired to seek help sooner rather than later.
When I first started college, I was an overachiever - I would juggle a full-time class schedule, job and internship in a single semester like it was cake. During this time, I truly felt I had purpose in my life. As I climbed the ladder of achievements, I would reach higher and higher. It was seldom that I wouldn't reach my goals. But, as they say, "with great power comes great responsibility." I started to notice I had put an immense pressure on myself to achieve the next best thing. I needed to achieve it or I would feel like I failed myself and everyone that admired and cheered for me.
The summer after my junior year, I decided I wouldn't take on a summer internship, instead I would do summer classes to climb the ranks in the newsroom sooner and finish my degree faster. During this time, I went through a break up and felt homesick since it was my first summer away from home. A large part of my support system had been taken and the other half of my support system, my family, was five hours away.The mix of personal changes and realizing I was entering my last year of college before "the real world" triggered anxiety in my every day life. I started to notice myself losing momentum. I didn't want to climb my achievement ladder anymore, I was ok with staying stagnant. I didn't have the energy to go to those morning gym classes anymore, I would rather eat less to keep my figure. I didn't feel like going to work, I'd just call in "sick." I didn't want to work on that passion project anymore, it could wait. Little by little I noticed my daily routine and drive shifting but I didn't react, I just let it happen.
My anxiety got worse every single week. At first, I only had anxious thoughts but soon enough they turned into anxiety attacks. Before I knew it, even the days that I did decide to show up for work, class or social events, I would let the anxiety consume me and I would have to exit early in order to go home and deal with yet another anxious episode.
It was after one these anxiety attacks in a public bathroom that I knew it was time to talk to someone about it. More than ever before, college campus' are providing resources to help you cope your mental health. Some resources can include on-campus counseling or tech-savy conseling. I used to see therapy as weakness but I realized this wasn't something I could control. Somewhere along the way, I had lost control of the wheel and I needed professional help to get back on track. Now that I have made the most of my resources and my support system, I share my stories so others will be inspired to seek help sooner rather than later.
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