College is awesome, but let’s be honest: it’s a tough transition. Even if you’re going to college with your best friends, the transition can be pretty tough in some ways, even if you don’t want to admit it. The new sense of freedom you get when you move out of your parents’ house and into your college dorm is an amazing feeling, but it can cause some anxiety too.
I have suffered from anxiety for most of my life, and that sure didn’t stop when I left for college. School actually makes my anxiety worse, as I get more anxious about getting good grades and the heavy workload. Trying to figure out how to balance everything in my life during the school year is stressful for me which ends up worsening my anxiety.
Living in the dorms also didn’t help. Living in close quarters with roommates that lived different lifestyles than me combined with the uncleanliness of my dorm made it a living hell. (P.S. my roommates were great, but I’m just not into the party scene and they were – which is totally fine!) This on top of my full workload in school, working part-time, trying to join clubs and make new friends, plus maintaining my relationship, all made for one messy, anxious disaster. By the end of the semester, I was miserable due to anxiety issues and the fact that I was always getting sick from the uncleanliness of my dorm. I pleaded with Campus Housing to release me from my housing contract because of my issues, and thankfully, they obliged.
After the process of moving out of my dorm, I thankfully found an apartment close to campus that was also pet-friendly, which meant that I could bring my beloved old pup, Buster, with me to college. Everyone always talks about missing their pets while away at college, but now, I got to bring an important part of my home back with me when I went back to college after winter break!
Now, a little over a month into the second semester, Buster and I are doing great! He’s always helped me out in difficult situations and now, even in his old age, he’s still the loyal and loving pup I’ve always known. It’s like he can sense when something’s wrong; the moment I get even the slightest bit stressed, I look over and find him sitting right next to me and staring up at me, waiting for me to let him comfort me. When my mental health is at its lowest, I tend to not want to take care of myself. I lose motivation for the things I typically love doing and have difficulty finding that motivation again.
Having this piece of home with me at college has been so beneficial to my mental health. He gets me out of bed in the morning (literally – I have to take him outside to do his business) and motivates me to take care of myself while also taking care of him. Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend was obviously mistaken – dogs are definitely the best friend you could ever have.