Student Blog: That Mental Health Conversation

With the Dear Evan Hansen movie dropping this upcoming weekend, I thought it appropriate to share my story when it comes to anxiety, and to inform others struggling with it about how to manage it and manage college at the same time.

It was August 2016, fresh off one of the best summers to date, I'm sure you'd agree.

I was starting my freshman year of high school, and shockingly enough, I was far from excited.

I was terrified.

I was so terrified that I felt sick for more than half of the first day, which made it difficult, because that's mainly introductory stuff I'd need later on. Somehow I got through the day, though.

Unfortunately, I was sent home sick early the next day, after getting sick in my first class and my best friend having to walk me all the way to the office from a different building.

I started going on anxiety meds after that. First they were liquid, then ended up being in pill form which I still take to this day, though the specific type has changed in the past couple years since switching providers.

How do I manage my anxiety and get college done at the same time? It's easy. Don't pile too much on yourself at one time. Take it easy on yourself and don't overdo it. Find ways to manage your time that don't leave you in a panicky mess later.

Time management is everything in college, but more so when you get anxious easily like I do.

I hope this has helped someone struggling, because if someone had passed this advice onto me five years ago, I would've been much better off in the long run.