800-448-3000I Thought My Problems Would Disappear At College
Question
So I have officially been a college freshman for a little more than two months. Well, it has been very hard getting to this point. In my senior year of high school, I foolishly believed that once I got to college, all my problems would just disappear. Well boy was I wrong. In fact college has made all my conditions much harder to deal with. I have asthma and attention deficit disorder. I am also a very anxious person but I was never diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, partly because I never told my parents I was struggling. Trying to manage my course load while also managing my asthma and ADD has been stressful. I find myself slipping into the anxiety spiral again. One thought would lead to another and another and before I know it my mind is racing with every trivial thought I can think of. Then comes the crash. Or as I like to call it, the tidal wave of depression. The wave of negativity crashes down and leaves me feeling numb and exhausted. I am so worn out from this internal battle that I have no motivation to complete my homework. I am so afraid that I am going to fail my classes but I have no motivation to get anything done. I have been battling this for so long that I just don't know what to do anymore. It is very hard for me to explain this to someone. I feel like if I tried to explain this to someone, they would tell me that I am fine and nothing is wrong with me but I know that is not true. I know that eating junk food because I have no energy to leave my dorm to get a decent meal is not normal. I know that not sleeping for two weeks straight is not okay. I know that scratching my hands until they bleed because I need to feel physical pain instead of emotional pain is not a good habit. I don't know what to do. Sorry this is so long. Thank you for reading this.
Counselor response
We are glad you reached out for help, it takes courage ask for help. You really have a lot on your plate right now and that can be overwhelming. It may be a good idea for you to call one of our crisis counselors at the Boys Town National Hotline at 1-800-448-3000. That way you can make a plan to address these issues and possibly find some referrals to begin seeing a professional Therapist. You may also want to check your campus health center as they often offer mental health services for a free or reduced price to students. Depression and ADD can best be addressed by a therapist and if medication is needed a referral to a Psychiatrist can be made by the therapist. The good thing about campus health services is they are often free or very low cost for students.
One suggestion we would make is to list each of the issues you are dealing with one at a time, then assign a number to each as to which one is the most urgent to get corrected. By attacking the issues one at a time rather than all of them all at one time can help it be less overwhelming.
We are concerned about you and want to help you. You can get through this. You have taken a brave first step by emailing us. If you don't think that you can manage to explain this to a therapist or another trusted adult in your life, simply print off the email you sent to us and let them read it.
We would encourage you to check out our web site at www.yourlifeyourvoice.org where you will find many good tips and resources that may be helpful as well. Regarding your self-harming behavior of scratching your hands until they bleed, that is a coping skill, however it is not a positive coping skill. We recommend checking out the 99 Coping Skills in order to find some more appropriate and safe ways to cope. Another that may be helpful is, 12 Steps to Overcome Depression.
Again, we are happy you contacted us for help. You have the power to work through these issues and make your future college experience a positive one.
Sincerely,
Tom Crisis-Counselor