You’ve always heard that your college years will be the best and most exciting four (or more) years of your life, right? You get to party, meet new people, finally get away from your pesky parents, and gain those infamous freshmen 15. These are all supposed to be the most notable parts of the experience but can also be a little troublesome. However, what they don’t tell you, is that a lot of people go through a pretty rough time while they’re here. It’s a very new encounter for a lot of people, making it difficult to fully adjust.
I know one of the things I struggled with the most was being able to balance. Balance is literally the most integral part of succeeding in college and is the reason why a lot of people can’t seem to get their shit together. You’ve gotta balance school work, a social life, your family, a job (if you have one), clubs and orgs, etc. Now you have people who are scary good at being able to balance having straight A students, being in a million and one orgs, having a job and having a bunch of friends that they go out with every weekend. This person is my best friend and even she couldn’t tell you how she does it.
Another key to good balancing is not taking on too much at once. I strongly advise you to join clubs and be involved on your campus, but don’t overwhelm yourself. Although joining those million and one clubs we talked about looks good on a resume or application, it’s okay to say no sometimes for the sake of your sanity. Having seven meetings and nine homework assignments on the same day would probably drive anybody crazy. Which brings me to my next point, mental health.
Mental health is something that is not talked about enough in the college community. Millions of college students battle with anxiety and depression while being here. I, myself, went through a pretty tough time my freshman year. Being away from family and what you’ve known for so long can really take a toll on some people. You’re used to having a bad day and coming home and telling your parents about it and them giving you words of advice, but now you kinda have to figure it out and deal with it on your own. Trust me, this isn’t always easy.
A lot of people are scared to talk about mental health, especially in the black community, but I am here to tell you that it is ok not to be ok. You don’t always have to be the strong one, and it’s ok to have a crying session every once in a while. Most importantly, it’s ok to talk to someone. Most people that deal with different mental health issues feel like they’re in it alone, but that should never be the case. Reach out to your friends every once in a while, and make sure they’re doing ok!
Now I didn’t say all this to scare you or deter you from the college experience because I promise it’s not always this hard, but because these are conversations that need to be had. Find your peace and take a break every now and then.