Personal Struggle
College students struggle and grow immensely all at once. Everyday you’re learning something new and having to overcome the obstacle of learning how to handle something new. Personal struggle can look all sorts of different ways. It could be not wanting to get out of bed in the morning, thinking your life sucks, or isolating yourself from your friends and family. Just because it could be a small thing doesn’t mean it doesn’t count. No matter what your personal struggle looks or feels like, know that you’re not alone.
Remember You Are Not Alone
Everyone in the world has had their low points. Even though what you’re experiencing is personal to you that doesn’t mean what you’re going through isn’t the same amount of struggle as what someone else is going through or has been through. Everyone handles things differently and although someone’s advice might seem annoying as if they don’t understand you or what you’re going through, recognize that they are trying their best to help in the way they know how. It may seem hard to communicate during a time like this, but if you need space, try your best to communicate before shutting your friends and family out.
It’s Okay to Accept Help
Even though the specific kinds of help someone offers may not seem like what you need, the fact that they want to help is a good thing. One of my favorite quotes is, “But as with most things we are in the driver’s seat. If they hate their life so much, they must want to improve it, and that requires action. Nobody can make us happy; we are responsible for our own happiness. We can share happiness with others who inspire and care for us as we do them.” We have so much to be grateful for and the sooner you make the effort to get better, the easier others can help you. No one can make your life better or make you happy, but they can share happiness with you if you allow them to.
Patience and Resilience
Understand that what you’re going through is going to take time to get through and that’s okay. Try not to set a timeline for yourself to get better but instead work on getting better every day instead. Take this time to reflect on things you may not have had time to think about before. I’d recommend getting a small notebook and just journaling every day. Putting down your thoughts on paper might help release some of it from your mind. Even though it may be tedious to write things down, in the end it will help you reflect on what happened and at what point you felt a certain way. Eventually you’ll be able to figure out what helps you feel better and what doesn’t, allowing you to create a routine for yourself.
