The TTS breakdown. What is that? What the heck does TTS even mean?!?

Well, my fellow Bulldogs can tell you that TTS stands for "Typical Truman Student." You add the word "breakdown" to the end of that phrase and you have yourself what happens to each and every one of us sometime or another.

These breakdowns do not happen solely on Truman's campus. They happen on college campuses across the globe. These breakdowns are typical, and they should be anything but. Why are we stressing ourselves to the point of completely and totally shutting down?

I remember my first one. It was October during my freshman year. I was two months into school and I ended up crying in the stairwell of my dorm to my mom on the phone. I was sobbing uncontrollably over ONE assignment. Was my work good enough? Was this grade going to keep me from graduating and finding a job and being successful in my life?

Of course not.

Eventually, that one assignment faded into the background and I gained back my confidence as a student. And then the next breakdown happened . . . and so on and so on and so on.

Sometimes I will have really great weeks, and other weeks – not so much. The bad weeks always consist of five papers, three tests, 2,049,823,098,109 Blackboard assignments due by midnight, and a zillion pages to read. It feels like I'm walking up a never-ending staircase and someone is pushing me down as I try to walk up. It honestly feels like I just can't catch a break sometimes.

We've all been there. We've all had the moments where we literally have so much to do, yet we choose to curl up in our beds and drown our sorrows in sugar and Netflix. We need that TLC, otherwise we will lose our minds.

While (most of) my mental breakdowns can be linked back to the place known as Truman State University, some of my biggest successes are thanks to this place too. The breakdowns are the absolute worst. Sometimes we feel like it isn't going to get better.

But it is.

TSU (and colleges everywhere) push us to the limit. I do think we get pushed too far sometimes, and that is something that really needs to change. However, I know that each and every one of us who is grinding through this thing called college has the power to be whatever we want to be. We control our success.

I promise you that the breakdowns don't last forever. College will not last forever. Don't stress over one assignment, and don't forget to take a step back and overeat some ice cream every now and then.

You are stronger than the stress. Don't forget that.

P.S. I want to give a special thanks to TSU for making me strive to achieve my goals. I've had my biggest life challenges at this school and it's only made me a better Bulldog!