Have you ever found yourself walking to class with a pit in the bottom of your stomach? Skipping a class because you physically can’t bear to sit through it that day? Feeling flustered in a lecture for literally no reason, almost to the point where you consider just walking out of class then and there? These may seem like dramatic situations to you, or maybe to you they seem like the life of an average college student. No matter how you view it, these are the everyday issues that face students with mental health issues.

I would love to be able to say that the stigma around mental health issues or going to a therapist is going away, but quite frankly it isn’t going fast enough. Many students, especially guys, feel like they are somehow weak or fragile if they admit that there might be something wrong. This is a lie. This is one of the biggest lies that society can convince someone. Just because you have a mental health issue, or simply the need to talk to a professional, does not make you any weaker than any other person walking around.

If you are struggling, please get help. Ask for help, tell someone something is going on, do whatever you need to do. There is no shame in getting help in whatever capacity you need it. Like my mother always says, “everyone in the world could benefit from talking to someone.” This is so true. Even if you are just going through a stressful period in your life, talk to someone. Mental health issues can come and go at any point in your life, so why not get help when you need it?

One of my teachers once said in our class something along the lines of “You wouldn’t expect a person with the flu or a broken arm to not see a doctor. It’s the exact same situation with mental health issues.” Mental health issues are just as unavoidable as any other illness or disease. That being said, mental health issues can often be treated just as easily as the flu or a broken arm. But that requires you to get help first.

According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, one in four students have a diagnosable mental illness. The keyword there is “diagnosable.” So if the fact that 25% of students having a very real mental illness is not enough for you to understand the reality of this issue, think about the other 75% who could be struggling on the brink of illness. We see jokes everyday about how college students don’t get enough sleep, always need a drink, don’t have time for a social life, etc. The list goes on and on. Have you ever stopped to think about the truth behind those jokes?

I feel like the expectations on college students increases everyday. You have to have a high GPA, be involved, get a healthy amount of sleep, have a good social life, get a job, and so many more. And while these expectations weigh on the minds of students, they aren’t the only reason that a quarter of college students have mental health issues. Mental health issues are just as much about the balance of chemicals in your brain as they are about the amount of stress in your life. This is why it is so imperative to get help. Maybe for you that means talking to a therapist, maybe it means going on medication. Either way, you need to consider it.

There is no reason to live life any less happy than you can be, and that includes getting help when you need it. Depression, anxiety, OCD, and every other mental health issue have all been heavily studied, researched, and tested. There are so many resources out there to help you, why not use them?