Has anyone else hit the wall this semester? Whether it’s mentally, academically, spiritually, financially, I think we can all agree we’ve reached the breaking point in some way. Sometimes, it’s easy to pick ourselves back up and keep walking. We’re down for a little bit, but we pull ourselves together and move along. For others, it’s not that easy; there may be major road blocks standing in the way of finishing the semester, even if it’s just a couple weeks.
As high school graduates starting freshman year, I don’t think we really expected college to be this difficult. I remember sitting in my first day of class, dressed in the shiny new clothes my graduation party helped purchase. I spent most of the day wide-eyed, marveling at how college seemed to be a different world altogether. These people didn’t know me; I could be anyone I wanted. There was no end to the potential and promise that surrounded me. I couldn’t imagine finding another place like it.
Fast forward to sophomore year and I’m facing one of the most difficult periods of my life thus far. You see, they make all these promises about what you’ll learn, who you’ll meet, and the person you’ll become in college. The schoolwork aspect is sidelined by dreams of happiness, success, romance, etc. They don’t tell you about the weeks when all you can do to keep your head above water is considered the bare minimum because there’s too much to keep up with. You don’t hear about the months where every week is a “If I can just make it to the end of this week…” situation. There are no insider secrets for handling the anxiety or depression you may find yourself spiraling into. Nobody warns you about the nights you spend falling apart in someone else’s arms (if you’re lucky enough to have someone around) because the weight of what you’re going through is too much to carry anymore. Nobody tells you what to do when the wall pops up and you hit it full speed.
Nobody tells you what to do because it’s not pretty or fun or popular to fall apart in college. People can glorify the struggling college student all they want, but it’s far from glorious. The expectation of hard times in college doesn’t even compare to the reality of coming unglued.
So, what do we do?
Nothing can truly solve the problem overnight. It will take some time to put ourselves back together, and that’s okay. We don’t have to constantly live in this rushed lifestyle where everything happens at a mile a minute. Take some time an realize that it’s a process. While you’re working through that process, here a a few ideas that may help you get through it:
- Remember whose you are. One of the biggest things that I find during times of struggle is that I’m selling myself to the enemy’s lies. He likes to wrestle his way into our hearts and make us feel dirty, empty, unworthy, etc. Don’t believe him for a second. Corrie Ten Boom once said, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” God and His love are there even in your present sufferings.
- Don’t be afraid to seek help. I know, I know, this is a lot easier said than done, but please at least try to reach out. The burdens of this world are a lot easier to bear when we share them with a friend. If you’re not comfortable sharing this with a friend or significant other, see if your campus offers a counseling service. Often times, verbalizing how we feel makes it more real and in light of the big picture and makes us feel better equipped to handle it.
- Know that this won’t last forever. There are some seasons in life that just plain suck. There’s no getting around it. However, there are also seasons that fill us with joy and peace and hope abounding. Don’t let the rough times make the enjoyable times any less real. Soon enough, the season of struggle will end and God will usher in a season of growth.
