Recently someone reached out to me. No one I will name. I won’t even tell you how I know them, but someone reached out to me regarding this blog. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances I was unable to tell them just how much it meant to me. However, I am lucky to have this platform where I can anonymously thank them because they helped me during one of my hardest days in a while…
For several weeks now my mental health has steadily declined. I’ve found myself feeling lazy, uninspired, and anxious lately. These were all feelings I honestly hadn’t experienced in several months. I have struggled to consistently post content on this blog the past few weeks because I personally have been struggling. Something I have to improve upon with this blog is the feeling that I can only post when I am feeling good and when I feel like I have answers for my problems. Realistically however, those who read this blog are probably more interested in reading about how I am feeling the good, the bad and the ugly, because they can sympathize or relate.
I have not been able to write a new post in several weeks due to a writer’s block caused by this mental health downswing. Without getting into too much detail recent life experiences have been especially challenging for me. I felt really lost and confused in a way that I did not expect to feel ever again. After an emotionally and physically exhausting day I was sitting at home surviving but not enjoying or appreciating the day. Until I received a certain DM… In this DM someone divulged information to me about their own experience with mental health and how my blog has helped them feel less alone.
As I said earlier, due to certain circumstances, I could not say everything I would have liked to this particular individual but I would anonymously like to share a few things with them. First of all, college is really hard. You’re suddenly thrown into this environment where you are supposed to find yourself, your best friends, your passions, and your career. But hey no pressure, right? That is so much change coming at you at once, it is totally understandable that you’d experience anxiety or stress regardless of if you’re a freshman or senior! Anxiety and nerves regarding the college experience are not reserved only for freshman. Please always remember your feelings and emotions regarding your college experience are valid, don’t let others or yourself tell you otherwise.
Second, I promise you everything happens for a reason in this life even if you can’t tell what it is. I can’t tell you how many experiences I had during college that I thought were unfair or cruel that I can now look back upon and see how they improved me as an individual. You will experience so many emotions in college and have so many life experiences it can be overwhelming, but everything is preparing you for another event in your life.
Third, no one can tell you what to do with your life. Find your passion and follow it regardless of what anyone else says. If you follow your passion then any negative opinion will be meaningless to you. The best success you will experience is when you accomplish something you’re passionate about. In relation, be proud of yourself for the big things and the little things! Every step of this experience is making you who you are meant to be so give every experience its due appreciation.
Lastly, please feel comfortable talking to others about mental health. You do not have to be public with your discussion as I have chosen to be, but sit down and talk to your most trustworthy best friend, family member, or university employee! Talking about issues such as these not only spread understanding and empathy for those experiencing it but also allows you to process what you’re feeling. Your thoughts can get incredibly jumbled in your head bouncing around from feeling to feeling. However, when you discuss feelings like this with other people you will typically find understanding from those individuals. Most importantly, you will better accept yourself the more you feel comfortable discussing with others.