College is hard. There has never been a doubt about that, and if there was, that person was lying. While college can be extremely stressful and frustrating at times, sometimes life outside of college can be hard to deal with as well. Whether you had a family emergency, health issues, or the semester has just been plain bad, these things can take a massive toll on how you perform in all your classes.
When you notice that things might be beginning to go south, talk to your professors. You’d be surprised on how many of them are understanding and willing to work with you and your situation. A majority of professors want you to succeed and they probably also hate that you’re going through a trying time. If you do have a professor who refuses to work with you, talk to an advisor, another professor, or a counselor. They can give you some sound advice as to what you can do and who you can turn to for additional help. Also consider that if your health and well-being is being heavily affected, maybe this class with a mean professor isn’t worth taking. You may need the credits, but your health and safety come first.
Find you campus health and social services center. They can help you get all the resources you need to help yourself. They can lead you to insurance, counseling, health care professionals, and plenty of other resources that can do a lot in aiding your situation. Work with them and they will work with you.
Surround yourself with some really good friends. In most cases you don’t have any family to go to, so your friends become your family. If you have amazing friends, don’t be afraid to rely on them. Good friends help you no matter what. Let them be a shoulder to cry on if you need one. I know that my friends have always given me a safe space to express my troubles and vent whenever I needed. Let them give you advice and try to help in any way that they can.
Have some fun. Relax and try to have a good time every once in a while. Go to a party, binge a show on Netflix, just do whatever you can to temporarily distract your mind. Everyone needs a little rest and relaxation every now and then and you are no exception. Do what makes you happy. When you are going through something so awful that it drags you down, you deserve something to pick you back up even if it’s just for a little while. You’re happiness is vital to your recovery.
Never put yourself second. You need to get better before you can make anybody else’s life better. In a depressive and unhealthy state, you are not in the right mindset to give anyone advice. Fix yourself first. This might sound harsh, but you might be doing more harm than good to both yourself and the person you’re trying to help even though you have the best of intentions. Make the smart decision and make sure that you are in the right state of mind before you decide to help anyone else.
Go seek a professional to talk to even if it’s just for one session. One good talk can really help you get some things off your chest and a professional opinion can do loads in helping you take the next step in your recovery. Even if you don’t have a history of mental illness, go seek a professional and see what they can do for you. You might be surprised.
Whatever you are going through this semester just know that you are not alone and that there are plenty of people who are willing to help, but you might have to look for it. Don’t be afraid to seek help. Your health and grades are very important and you need to make sure that you are willing to make sure that both of those remain in proper shape. You can crawl out of that hole and you can be a strong force to be reckoned with, but being ok starts with you.