Celine V.

Photography by Sabrina Atkin

If you're reading this, you have so much life left ahead of you.

My second semester of junior year, I struggled with my mental health. I constantly felt a knot in my stomach, suffered from nausea, and felt very alone. There is an insane guilt that comes with feeling down, especially when you feel like you have nothing to feel sad about. There I was — a junior in college at USC, an institution I dreamed about getting into years ago, with amazing friends and a community that I had craved since freshman year. I had it all.

I struggled to find the energy to keep up with classes, clubs, and cultivating friendships. I felt the need to pretend like everything was okay, not wanting people to know how I was feeling. I thought that talking about my mental health would make me a burden to others, especially when I couldn’t really put a finger on why I was feeling down in the first place.

What I know now, almost a year away from that time in my life, is that you are not a burden, and people do want to help you. I was lucky enough to tap into school resources and some close friends to help me get through that time in my life. And what was beautiful to see is that people truly do want to see you get better. There is so much goodness and love in the world, and I’m so glad I was able to get to the other side of my really hard semester to see it.

As a second semester senior, I’m so incredibly proud of where I am mentally. I am the most at peace I have ever been. Even with all of the looming unknowns that would have caused me much anxiety in the past, I’ve learned how to navigate change and take life as it comes. I’ve been practicing enjoying exactly where I am at, even if I still have things to figure out along the way. I know I can find beauty in uncertainty.

Although people say it all the time, I truly mean it when I say you are not alone. There are resources for you to find the support and assistance that you need when times get rough. And more importantly, there are people in this world that care about you and will be there for you every step of the way. Reach out to your friends. Talk to your family. They’re here for you - we all are.

Celine V., University of Southern California

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