This is for the ones who can't sleep at night, the ones who lie awake watching the hours tick by on the red alarm clock numbers, or watch Netflix into the early hours of the morning not because they want to, but because it's better than just trying to fall asleep in the silent dark.
This is for the ones who turn red at the slightest attention drawn to them in class, those who break out in a cold sweat when the syllabus says “presentation," and those who dread oral exams so much that they skip them, preferring to stay in bed where it's safe and stress free.
This is for the ones with the breakdowns, the ones who can't study anymore because the words on the page blur together with panic or tears, the ones who write frantic emails to their professors pleading for some kind of humanly understanding and extension. This is for the ones with suffering grades despite their efforts, the failed tests after a night of anxiety attacks, the botched essays when things got too overwhelming and something had to be sacrificed.
This is for the ones who quietly sneak into the counseling center every week, the ones who know their therapist by name but have ready-made excuses for their weekly appointments. This is for the ones who make time in their already busy schedule to do some self-care and who face their anxiety with a will to get better.
This is for the ashamed ones, the quiet ones, the ones who hide it from friends and family and just pretend everything is okay. This is for the ones who don't know what to do, who have been told that everyone gets stressed and they should just calm down. This is for those who are in denial, who just want to tough it out until summer. But this is also for the ones who own it, conquer it, try to help others with their own problems, those who know what helps and those who work hard to get better.
This is for the men. This is for the women. This is for the freshmen and the seniors, the shy and the confident, the experienced patients and the new ones. This is for all of the fellow students who have anxiety, because there are so many of you.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems on college campuses around the country. Out of all the adults with anxiety, 75 percent first experience it in their college years. In fact, 13 percent of college students have diagnosed mental health conditions, and that's just a statistic of ones who have seen a professional about it.
As beautiful and heavenly as our school is, we're not immune to these problems. Everyone gets stressed, everyone breaks down after a bad day, but sometimes it's more than just a single incident.
So, this is for the anxious ones. This is a shout out to the ones doing school and work and family and life with that feeling of constant worry. This is for the ones who know the indescribable, overwhelming days. This is for you.
