I've been in college for about three years now, and have had my fair share of good and bad experiences with roommates. My first semester I lived with a random roommate, and from then on I lived with friends. Both options did not end up being the best situation, and made me very discouraged about my living situation for the future. At the end of the second semester of my sophomore year, I decided to take a semester off to figure out the biggest life mystery: "what do I want to do with my life?" During the summer, I made plans to return to school for the fall semester. When I came back, I was still considered a sophomore, and was stuck with a couple random roommates. I was terrified, and as soon as I was given their names, I did a huge investigation to see if we'd get along. We all got in contact and "so far, so good!" I thought to myself.

When we all finally met, I was extremely anxious. They both seemed really nice and friendly, which made me feel a lot better. We got to know each other pretty quickly, and the nerves slowly slipped away. We found out we had a lot in common, and have the same sense of humor. They made me feel like I can act like my silly, goofy self, and there would be no judgement. We would have disney movie marathons, and order pizza on a regular basis, and stay up late at night just laughing till we cried. It was a huge relief, and I knew very quickly that these were going to be lifelong friends.

As the semester went on, I started to change. I was loosing a lot of motivation and had not energy for anything. One of my roommates suggested to go see an on-campus counselor, and referred me to the one she she was seeing. And honestly, that was the best thing that has happened for me. I was diagnosed with extreme anxiety and depression, and my world changed. I found it hard to hang out and feel normal around my friends, and the people I felt most comfortable around were my roommates. There was no judgement if I skipped class because my body felt too heavy to get out of bed, or if I started crying for no reason. They made me as normal as possible and I could still be myself, which is the greatest feeling.

I really hate to say the term "blessed" but honestly, I am truly blessed. Both of my roommates are struggling with their own demons, but they will always be there for me, and I for them. Without them, I really don't know where I'd be. They helped me chose a major I actually enjoy, and I know I can always count on them for anything. Without them, I would not be getting the help for my mental illness, and who knows what could have happened with that. My mom recently told me that these two girl have been my saving grace, and I could not agree more.