When my brother tore his ACL at the beginning of his senior year of high school, he could not play soccer or rugby in his final seasons. He needed surgery to fix his leg. His doctors told him to stay off of it for a few months, so he walked on crutches to keep pressure off the knee. He went to physical therapy and took two weeks off from school to avoid being on his leg. A year later, he’s playing rugby at college and is fully recovered from his surgery. My brother, my family, his school and his team all made accommodations to make sure he had the time and space to heal.

When someone gets a terminal disease, we don’t expect them to be in work while they receive treatment. We expect them to rest and get better. People need to rearrange their lives when a loved one gets a terminal disease, so they can support that loved one through treatment.

These two scenarios are no-brainers. Of course my brother should rest after tearing his ACL and getting surgery, and of course someone with a serious disease should be given the time and space they need to get better.

A physical injury or illness is something most people take seriously, as they usually make accommodations for it. If we switched these conditions out with a panic attack or depression, the reaction would be very different.

Last semester, I struggled with my mental health. I felt like I was drowning under exhaustion and anxiety. But instead of trying to take a break and heal, I kept going, pushing myself well beyond what is healthy. I was in therapy and spent a lot of time going over exercises to reduce my anxiety and depression, but I still felt like I was drowning.

It is expected when someone is dealing with a mental illness or injury for them to keep going, as though it is something that one should always overcome without time off. There is far less understanding in the case of an emotional or mental issue rather than a physical one.

People do not understand that a mental illness can be just as crippling as a physical one. There were days last semester when I could not get out of bed, and when I could get out of bed, it was all I could do to get myself to class. Everything becomes a battle and nothing is easy.

The hardest part is that this feeling feels like a weakness. I did not want to admit to the people who were depending on me that I was struggling. Because of the way the world is conditioned to see mental illness, it felt like my inability to complete work was entirely my own fault, and to admit this inability was to admit that I could not handle my roles on campus.

So, I did what most people with depression, anxiety or any other mental illness do: I hid it and pushed myself. I pretended to be fine while I felt like I could not move. Mental illness can be just as debilitating as physical illness. I pushed myself beyond what my body could handle and only ended up hurting myself. I did not meet deadlines, I flaked on my friends and I disappointed myself. Things kept feeling like they were getting worse and worse, and I felt like I was getting buried.

I pushed myself too far and have to deal with the consequences. These consequences are much worse now because I asked for help too late.

I am allowed to say that I am behind on a project because I could not get out of bed due to my brain chemistry being off. More people, especially professors, are willing to work with you than not. Obviously, I never get a free pass, but I can get the extra help and support I need. Talking to the people around me before my breakdown point would have helped me avoid many of the mistakes I made last semester.

It is okay to admit weakness or shortcomings. It is okay to ask for extra help and be honest with people you are close to about how you are feeling.

I have been in therapy for a few years now and have learned skills to help me deal with anxiety and depression, but I got to a point where those skills were not useful. It gets hard to use skills and live a productive life when you can’t even move from bed.

I started my therapy journey at the Counseling Center here on campus and highly suggest it as a resource for any student who needs help dealing with stress. The earlier, the better because you can avoid reaching the breakdown point.

If you keep yourself mentally healthy and talk about your problems, it can keep you from breaking your brain and making mistakes that are very hard or even impossible to fix. But also remember that there is another side to it. I survived, and I have the opportunity to make things right, but that is only because I realized I needed more help than I was getting. I realized that being honest about what I could handle and what I could not handle is not a crime—it is healthy. I learned these lessons and I hope I can pass on what I have learned.

No matter how small your anxiety may be, never be ashamed to admit you are struggling and never be afraid to seek out the resources around you.