Mental Health During College
The transition from high school to college is hard. Living on your own for the first time. Fending for yourself. Finding the right balance of work and play. Taking classes that are harder and require more time outside of class to master. It can be challenging to navigate all on your own.
When I entered college, my mental health deteriorated big time. I was depressed and anxious. I had at least two panic attacks a week. And I found myself calling my mom and crying while sitting on the floor of Ballantine hall more times than I’d like to admit. Learning to find a balance between clubs, pre-med, a fiancé, and time for myself was a challenge.
Luckily, we have CAPS. CAPS stands for Counseling and Psychological Services, and it is located on the 4th floor of our health center on 10th st. As a student, you get 2 free visits a semester. Your care is tailored to you and your circumstances. Finding the right therapist for you is easy with CAPS.
On top of CAPS, I learned how to balance my activities, and not spread myself so thin. I realized my depression was coming from not feeling like myself, so I tried to remember who I was before IU. I was the girl who dressed up every day, spent every minute possible with family, and got involved in clubs and sports. I went home on thanksgiving break and grabbed all of my dresses and nicer outfits that I had left at home and started wearing those to class instead of sweatpants or jeans. I am from Bloomington, so I had the luxury of going home every weekend and sometimes during the week to see my family and get as many baby snuggles with my new nephew as I could. And I decided to add a dance minor to my degree. I also cut caffeine out but that’s a story for a different time. Those things on top of seeing a counselor every other week drastically changed how I felt every day. I was lifted out of my depression. My panic attacks were fewer and farther between. And I made it through 4 years of undergrad, getting married, COVID, starting (and finishing this April) my master's, and having a baby. That is a lot of change in the last 6 years, but because of the foundations I built with my counselor during my time at CAPS, I was able to make it through each of those transitions.
