Take a second to read this article and watch the video. But be prepared and have the tissues ready and your heart broken.
To all of those struggling right now, this is for you:
You are about to start the biggest, most confusing, and challenging year of your life, freshmen year of college. It is supposed to be the best year of your life but for many, it is the worst. Coming from somebody who just got through it, let me tell you what I have learned.
It is hard. Be prepared for what is to come. Coming to college is hard. People say it is a transition and if you are anything like me, you will blow it off thinking that it is not that big of a change. I was wrong and you are going to be too if you think like that. Leaving your family, hometown, the kids you have grown up with, and what seemed to be a simple, easy life is difficult. It is okay to miss home, it is okay to want to pack your car up on a Tuesday afternoon, drive home, and never look back. It is okay if you are unsure of yourself. It is okay if you do not think you can do well enough in school, or extra circular activities. Being unsure of yourself freshmen year is one of the most natural feelings, at this point in your life. Your life is supposed to change; it is certainly going to get more complicated and more challenging, after high school. You are not alone with feeling like this. It is a normal feeling to have, learn to embrace it and know that you are not alone. It is okay.
You do not have to be perfect. Being perfect is an illusion that many people aspire to. It is not possible. Not now, not ever. I was an A+ student in high school, I was on a winning athletic team, involved in everything you could imagine. College changed that, and it is hard to learn that lesson, trust me. You have to work harder in college than you ever did in anything else, the stakes are higher and the material is more difficult. You have to remember that. You have to remember that you are not supposed to feel like you have it all together perfectly, like you did in high school. The whole point of college is to challenge you, it is suppose to prepare you for the real world where nothing is perfect, so please don't feel like you have to be. So what if you may have failed a calculus exam? Call your mom, cry your little heart out, make your friends give you a hug and eat lunch with you, and know that tomorrow you will be okay. It is all going to be okay.
Take care of yourself. Depression and anxiety are real. Do not let anyone or yourself say otherwise. Take a look around at all the people that you pass on your college campus. I assure you that more people than you can imagine are struggling with some form of mental illness. As bad as this sounds, it has almost become a norm on any college campus in this day and age. You are not alone. There are medicines you can take, people to talk to, and people that are dealing with the same things as you. Do not be too prideful to get help, or think less of yourself because you do. Taking care of yourself is your number one responsibility. Now and again, everyone needs some help along the way, a get out of jail free card, almost. It is normal. Take advantage of the resources you are given and the people who love you that will understand. When you feel like running away from everything, when you feel like you cannot handle any more. Start running. Run straight to your family and your friends because they love you and they will help you, just like you would do for anyone else. It is okay, I promise you. It is okay.
When it all comes down to it, take it from somebody who has been there and felt all of these feelings. It is okay. You are okay.
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