I never thought I would fit in the percentage of college students that struggled with depression and/or anxiety but there I was sitting in a counselors office trying to sort out the madness that was going on in my head.
But mental health is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact you might be surprised at how many college students, let alone people, experience some forms of depression or anxiety.
So was medication an option for me? Is this a life long battle? How do I fix it?
I first noticed something was up my sophomore year of college. I started having trouble breathing. After a series of visits to the doctor (both on campus and my family doctor back home) the verdict was anxiety. I was shocked actually. I knew I was stressed (hello college!). I knew I wasn’t sleeping right and in my particular case I had just been through major surgery and was still recovering from it 10 months later. Yet, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the circumstances that surrounded me. I didn’t believe the doctor at first because I hadn’t noticed any particular thoughts or circumstances that triggered my shortness of breath. It just happened randomly to me at the time.
Anxiety and Depression can cause a variety of physical issues. Feeling tired, jittery, lightheaded, lights become more sensitive, sometimes I felt on edge for no reason, shortness of breath, headaches, lack of appetite, wanting to eat to much, struggling to get out of bed, etc. In the case of my anxiety I had no clue the thoughts that were triggering my physical symptoms which is why it was so hard for me to believe it was anxiety. For a long time I just felt anxious about nothing and I didn’t understand it.
I tried anti depressants at the advising of my doctor but had severe side effects to them.
The semester ended and summer finally arrived. I thought this must be the end to my battle. Surely after all the stress of school was gone and I felt the sunshine on my face at the beach my problems would quickly fade away… but they didn’t. They got worse.
I am now a junior in college. I went to counseling for a whole summer.
I can say my anxiety has gotten better because of counseling. Even though I still struggle with it sometimes I can now figure out what’s triggering it (most of the time) and address the issue. Counseling wasn’t an easy fix though. I had to make some life style changes. I had to step back from a lot of things I was doing on campus and put the most important things first. Its taken some work but the results have been successful.
If you struggle with anxiety or depression here are a couple things I have used to get through my days.
 Please know that I am not a doctor and severe cases of anxiety and depression should be handled with professionals trained to help those who need it. I would encourage you to seek help.
1.    Counseling – Go to counseling. Counseling was so helpful for me because there is so much about the brain and thought process I didn’t know. There is so much about how unique each one of our stories is that effects how we handle life today. I had a good counselor who encouraged me every session. He asked hard questions. I talked about hard stuff. But, he always pointed out the light at the end of the tunnel. Going to him was crucial in managing my anxiety. Through his help and learning about emotions I realized I had been suppressing fear which was causing my anxiety. My counselor counseled people based on my faith values, which was also very helpful.
        – Some people have to try multiple counselors. It is helpful to find someone you click with and trust.
2.    Color – Color, doodle, get creative. Did you know that scientist have researched that coloring for a period of time can produce some of the same benefits that meditation does? When I start to feel anxiety creep up I sit at my desk and watercolor or doodle scripture and quotes. Sometimes in class I draw in the margins of my notes. This allows me to slow down my thoughts and divert that energy into a more positive activity than stress and worry.
3.    Make list or find some way of organizing thoughts so they don’t seem so overwhelming. – In college we all have those overwhelming weeks where it seems like the list of assignments never ends. While I am a pretty organized person sometimes it helps me to put my assignments in a list of what needs to be done first and what can be done the quickest. It turns the overwhelming mess of “I have to do all of this” into a check list that seems more manageable.
4.    Get moving. – When you feel the wait of anxiety or depression it can be hard to get out of bed or feel motivated to do anything. Working out can be extremely helpful because it releases tension out of your body, gets you moving, can potentially build motivation, and increases the chemical production in your brain over a period of time which can boost mood. Sometimes I like to walk around my pretty campus and listen to music.
5.    Stay hydrated. – For some reason when I drink lots of water it lessons my symptoms. Staying hydrated can provide tons of health benifits and any boost to your health can boost your mood.
6.    Talk to your friends. – When I first started sharing with my friends about my anxiety it was scary. I didn’t think they would understand. I didn’t want them to think I was a person who just worried all the time. Its hard to explain to someone something you arent totally knowledgable about or something that you feel on the inside. Because I have tried to be open to them about what I’m feeling, thinking, and going through they are getting better at learning how to encourage and communicate with me. One thing about anxiety is that it throws all reason out of the door, my friends point me back to that reason.
7.    Medication – I don’t have any medical background so if you think medication might be an option for you I would recommend you talk to your doctor, counselor, and a trusted family member or friend.
If you find yourself feeling anxiety or with a diagnoses of anxiety and you feel alone know that you are not alone. Seek help and take care of yourself. Be proactive in challenging your thoughts and feelings because it can and will get better. Feelings are not always true and emotions are temporary.
Take care.Â
*All photos were taken by Becky*