When It’s Time to Visit Your School Counselor
In the high stress of school, sometimes it becomes hard to remember we need to take care of ourselves.
Self care is usually one of the first things out the window when midterm season hits, or when the assignments start piling up.
And having the courage to see your school counselor isn’t easy. It takes a lot of strength because sometimes we don’t want to admit that we need help.
I dragged my heels the first few times I ever went, and it’s only when things started getting really bad that I decided enough was enough. Here’s some things that I’ve learned about when it’s time to pay a visit to the counselor’s.
Saying Goodbye to Sleep
It was second year and my winter semester. The assignments were starting to pile up at an alarming rate, and I just couldn’t keep up with everything.
I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. But when people drill the idea into you that your grades and your GPA matter more than anything, sacrificing sleep doesn’t seem like a big deal. So I started pulling all-nighters to finish essays.
But the thing with that is what goes around comes around. I would stay up all night, be more exhausted the next day and unable to concentrate. I was doing twice the effort and getting none of the rewards.
My anxiety increased and my depression spiraled. But I didn’t reach out for help because I thought this was the university experience.
Emotionally Beat
My lack of sleep didn’t just ruin my concentration, it made my mood crash to an extreme low. I was crying and angry and panicked and hurt. It felt like I couldn’t control anything in my life anymore. Things were spiraling out of control too fast and I didn’t know what to hold onto.
It got to the point where even my profs were starting to worry about me. But for some reason, we don’t feel good about asking for help. We might have the most valid reason in the world, but usually we’re not jumping to ask for extensions. And a part of me wanted to prove that I could do it.
Acknowledging that it’s time to bring in reinforcements is tough. But there comes a point where we need to remember that we come first. Nothing is as important as our own mental and physical health.
Defeat
The breaking point came during final exam season a few months later. I was too tired to fight and too anxious to ask for help. I thought I had officially screwed up my university life and I might as well drop out now.
It culminated to me sitting in my three hour exam, staring at the page while everybody else was writing their essays and…I panicked. I couldn’t do it. So I wrote I’m sorry across the top of the page and handed in the exam blank. It was the professor for that class who suggested maybe I should be speaking to someone. She was right, enough was enough. I needed to see someone.
Know Your Limits
I know that all of this might seem like it’s going straight to the deep end. And that’s partly why I’m telling you, because trust me that’s not a fun swim. If you know you’re struggling and things are building up, explore your options.
Go see the counselor. Talk to your prof or your TA, your family or your pet dog. Whoever you need to in order to take care of you. You don’t have to be at your breaking point to seek help. But know that if you feel you need it, there is never anything wrong with reaching out.
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