“I am an emotional I am an emotional, devotional, incandotional creature" (Eve Ensler)

October is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and chances are either you or someone you know suffers from a mental illness, especially in college. For college students, mental health is a growing concern; the American Psychological Association claims that among college students, 41.6 percent are afflicted with anxiety and 36.4 percent with depression. Unfortunately, only a portion of these people receive veritable help.

Foremost, I have withstood the first month of college—I'm still here. This is an achievement on its own because many of us aren't able to do so because "64% of college students with mental-health issues drop out," and, unfortunately, we have lost many to suicide. Life is formidable without an illness, and with an illness, life becomes even more arduous. Particularly with a mental illness since one's mind can never be turned off; hence, an individual with a mental illness is in constant opposition with his/her mind. Regrettably, only a few understand what this entails. To ease this challenge, society should make more of an effort to learn, appreciate, and comprehend more about those that brave each day with a mental illness.

So, I'm still here and my heart is still beating. Nevertheless, my heart beats at an irregular pace due to my anxiety. Yes! I have anxiety! Yes, I have panic attacks! Yes, I'm not perfect! Shocker, right?! Wrong! Statistics reveal that in the United States, 6.8 million adults suffer from a Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

I am one of those millions.

There are a numerable amount of anxiety disorders, including, but not limited to, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. As one can see, anxiety and depression go hand in hand. Hence, extremely high highs and extremely low lows are explained.

Many of my peers are shocked to hear that I take anxiety medication and struggle with my excess of emotions because I strut confidently and conquer all that is in my way. Nonetheless, my anxiety is always generating detrimental thoughts in my mind. My emotions continuously try to control me, however, I have learned how to hold on to as much of my power as possible.

Yet, there are times when I lose control and, consequently, have a panic attack. Crying, bawling, and hyperventilating aren't unusual behaviors of mine; I am incredibly emotional, and most of the time I can't help it.

"Emotions are the language of the soul" (Anonymous).

Even so, I am not ashamed of my extreme passions. I have learned that Brigette Nicole was correct when she claimed:

"Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. It's a sign that you have a big heart, and that you aren't afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength."

My anxiety is what enables me to be compassionate and understanding; I am able to connect with others as I open up about my own challenges. I am approachable and enjoy listening to and helping others. From personal experience, I know how complex and difficult it can be to get over a panic attack--I tend to scream at people to get away from me, when, in reality, all I truly need is a hug. Going through the mental and physical pain that's manifested by one's mind is agonizing, but these experiences have given me the ability to understand and help others, which is incredibly rewarding. Thus, I am thankful and appreciate the way that I am, even with my unbalanced hormones.

"Emotions make us human. Denying them makes us beasts" (Victoria Klein).

All humans have emotions, which help us to react to our surroundings and physical stimuli —"emotions have helped us survive." College is a stressful environment, thus, anxiety is a prevalent reaction, or emotion, that students endure. In comparison to the natural world, humans have a more complex rational system; consequently, humans are the most self-conscious animals as our rational and emotional core oppose one another.

A perfect balance of these two features is what all individuals strive for, hence, in therapy, the main goal is to find and maintain an equilibrium between one's rational and emotional thoughts. Personally, my rational and emotional thoughts never work together. They are always in opposition. Especially when it comes to my self-conscious thoughts.

I always understand that I am thinking irrationally, but I cannot help but worry and worry about unjustifiable concerns. Despite this, I wake up every day filled with optimism because I find that life is easier to seize when I am positive rather than negative and filled with critical judgments. Overall, regardless of the battles I face ascribed to my anxiety, I am a confident, strong-headed woman who believes that she can overcome anything.

As mentioned earlier, October is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and, specifically, October 5th was National Depression Screening Day, where millions who thought they might need help were able to get tested. Don't worry if you missed the national day to get tested, you can verify yourself here.