Having any type of mental illness is difficult to deal with, but having to juggle college along with the illness is hard.
I am a sophomore in college and struggle with anxiety and depression, and I have had really good days, but also really bad days. When you have these bad days you really do not want to do anything, but you still need to be proactive on your school work. Personally, I take school seriously and I like to get things done — not just half assed but get it done really well.
Now the reason why I am able to do this is because 1. I live at home and 2. I don't currently have a job. Before I get put down for either living at home or not having a job, listen: Its not that I have never had one. I have babysat, house watched, and had an actual job in high school until I got into a car accident that made me unable to work there anymore. I am grateful that I am able to spend so much time on school work, and for the classmates that I do know that work and go to school I give them all the props because it has to be tough.
Now I am not an idiot I know the whole job thing is going to happen at some point — but it needs to happen on my terms and not getting pushed into it when I know it will break me mentally. I know that if I were to get one now, I would lose my mind, trying to do school to the level I do along with a work schedule. I would break down.
I have recently been getting a lot of crap for 1. not having a job 2. not having a license, 3. living at home, 4. using my mental illness as an "excuse," I have been getting pushed to get a job and how it will make me feel so much better...but when I get the money I can move out and how much happier I will be, and then you won't have the depression and anxiety since you are not happy.
News flash: doing something that will "make you happy" does not make the depression go away at all.
You can be doing something you love and you can still feel depressed. So no, getting a job right now would not make the depression and anxiety go away — honesty I feel it will just make it worse for me.
Not having a license is due to the anxiety being in a car has on me due to the car accident that also made me unable to work. I have a permit, so I have drove. I just need to take the driving test but I personally feel I need more practice. However, people don't want to take the time and be patient saying "it can happen later" and then nothing happens.
So please stop making people with depression and anxiety feel like shit for not doing things the same time as everyone else.
You might not realize that is how were are feeling because usually we just hide how we feel, but deep down we feel like we are the dirt of the earth because we are trying to cope with something that we have no control over. dealing with these feelings while dealing with school is a lot and it is hard.
So please stop with this tough love... its not what we need.
Instead try and be supportive and understanding. If a subject comes up and that person suddenly gets quiet, it's usually a sign of they know they need to step it up, but they need time to figure it out on their own so let them. Stop pushing it.