There is the two most anxiety ridden weeks in a college student's life -- midterms and finals. During those two weeks, you don't sleep enough, you never eat enough, and it seems like there is not enough time to complete anything. There are the constant thoughts of, "I'm never going to get everything done," or "I'm going to fail this test even though I studied for the entire week." These kind of thoughts are normal ones, for normal students. For a person who has a mental illness, those are the best thoughts they will have all week.
When a college student thinks about finals, this picture comes to their mind...
Some key words that jump out would be STUPID, WORTHLESS or MORON. For someone with a mental illness, they truly believe that these words describe them. It seems that no matter how hard or long they study, they still won't remember the material. So to the student who feels this way, it's okay.
You are not alone, and there are people to help you and work with you.
In 2013, a study was done to see how many men and women were feeling overly anxious in the past year. The study concluded that 57 percent of women felt this anxiousness along with 40 percent of men. Not only that, but they did the same study for depression as well. This study concluded that 33 percent of women felt they were so depressed that they could not function, along with 27 percent of men. These studies were based on college students -- people like you and me, feeling like they can't even function or were too stressed to do anything.
That is why I will repeat, you are not alone.
Even when you feel like flying, you keep fighting. You know that you do not want this to affect your life, so you have to accept it and move on. The most important part is that if you need to, you get the help you need -- especially during finals week. Colleges can help get you accommodations, extended library hours are a huge help, there are extended "learning lounge" hours to go in and ask questions to your peers, as well as there are counselors and teachers that are there to support you.
Even if you have struggled or continue to struggle with your mental illness, you will be okay. You will get past this, you will make it to the next day. It is important to label yourself as a warrior, someone who survives and thrives in life.
So throughout this finals week, don't worry about failing a class or cramming all of your notes in beforehand. Trust you know the material, and that you will be okay. Trust yourself, and don't forget that you are a warrior.
