SB H.

Photography by Emma Joseph

If you’re reading this, I want you to know it’s ok not to be ok.

I spent this past summer away from home. My closest friends were my MCAT books and flashcards. I expected some stress, but nothing I hadn’t experienced before. I thought I’d push through it on my own, like I have many times before.

However, life has a funny way of not listening to our plans. The anxiety I felt was like nothing that I had experienced in a long time. The voices in my head got loud, and I was tempted to listen. As someone who has spent many years battling anxiety and depression, I took this as a defeat. I asked myself what was wrong with me, how I’d regressed, and how I’d made no progress. Not only are those questions not productive, but they also don’t have real answers. I felt stuck.

Luckily for me, my life also brought some amazing people into my life this summer. My roommates turned into amazing friends. Prarthna, Ava, and Annika truly carried me through. They were there to listen to my rants about how broken I felt. They were there to cry after rough days and celebrate after good ones. Simply put, they were there.

I want you to know that progress is not linear. There will be times in your life when you feel like you can conquer the world. And there will be others when you can’t get out of bed. That is natural. There will be times in life when you need to rely more on others. Let people help you. Someday, you can return the favor to someone else.

I want you to know that while your mental health can creep up on you when you least expect it, you have a support system around every corner. You are never going through the valleys alone. Surround yourself with people who will trek through the mud with you, then celebrate when you get to the top of the mountain.

Mental health is not a straight line; it’s more like a roller coaster, with high points, low valleys, and many twists and turns. If you’re in a season of life where you feel stuck in a valley, that is ok. It doesn’t mean you’ve made no progress; it doesn’t mean you’re right back where you started. It means you’re human.

                        Sincerely,

SB H., Wake Forest University

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