College life is a very big transition for many students. Especially those who are already dealing with other life problems, like a mental health disorder. Trying to learn how to live and navigate on your own can take awhile. For our whole lives, many of us have lived with our parents’ support. Now, in an instant, we are out on our own, away from home. We will come across some situations we have never been faced with and meet people that may become lifelong friends. It is the best time of your life, as long as you can keep your mental health in check.
From excitement to dread
During the summer going into college, I was filled with excitement to get to school. However, I was a little nervous. I wanted to experience college life but I did not want to leave my friends and family. I was definitely nervous about the difficulty of the classes. Our high school teachers were always preaching about how much harder college was than high school. As summer was winding down I was ready for the big transition.
Freshman year of college is where I saw my symptoms the worst. It is actually when I found out I had OCD. That was two years ago, as I am currently a junior. At the time I was at a school about two hours away from home. I was excited to get out and live on my own and get a feel for college life. Unfortunately, my OCD took that away from me. I could never enjoy myself and ended up transferring back to a school right by my home so I could figure out what was going on.
Seeking help on campus
Schools do have resources for those who are facing symptoms of a mental disorder. I decided to seek help at my school, however, they said it would take a month to see someone. That is when I decided to transfer to somewhere closer to home so I could see a therapist. If you are someone that can wait, then you really should. I sometimes regret transferring schools. I wish they could have saw me sooner and maybe I would still be attending classes there. However, that is not how my story goes, and I am still very grateful for my opportunities I have currently. Either way you should definitely seek help as soon as possible.
Finding my network
An important tip I want to share is to surround yourself by people who are supportive. Having a supportive core of people can help you make it through those tough days. Look to make friends through classes and clubs. Also, never be afraid to give your parents a call because they are always there to hear you out. In my case, I had a roommate that I was close friends with in high school. This allowed me to distract myself by talking and hanging out with him. I also had a very supportive girlfriend who I could turn to. She was able to walk me through the toughest times and never look at me crazy no matter what I told her. I also visited home a lot. I was only about two hours away so it was pretty easy. I felt as though the excitement to go home at the end of the week was what got me through the weeks.
Healthy lifestyles DO make a difference
Another thing that really helped me get through the days was going to the recreation center to workout. Getting exercise is proven to improve mental health. It was also a nice way to distract myself from my nagging OCD thoughts. I would always enjoy the company of my roommate as it helped me even more.
Enjoy the ride
College is a lot to take in such a short amount of time. Everything happens so quickly you may feel lost. All of these changes are tough enough to handle by themselves. Now trying to handle these changes while battling a mental health disorder makes college an even tougher challenge. This is why it is so important to find help right away so that you don’t fall behind in school. Find ways to reduce your struggles so that you can focus on your classes and making friends. I do have regrets of transfering schools and not fulling enjoying college life. I feel as though I let my OCD ruin my college experience. It does not have to be that way for you. As long as you take the right steps to recovery you will be able to fully enjoy your college experience.
By: Shaymus Dunn, Anxiety In Teens Contributor