Struggling to Balance Mental Health? Help Might Be Closer Than You Think
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Posted By: Sam Harden on December 04, 2023 Struggling to Balance Mental Health? Help Might Be Closer Than You Think TLDR? Scroll to the bottom for a list of mental health resources. To all my people pleasers out there, it is my solemn duty to let you know that there is little pleasure as sweet as making your therapist truly cackle. It’s a mystery to me how that alone can’t cure depression. But, since it can’t, I’m sharing a bit of my mental health journey as well as some helpful resources available here at UDC to help fortify you in the war of attrition that is existing in 2023. In those times when my inner monologue has decided to use my self-esteem as target practice for knife throwing, I try to take myself back to 2021, my first year at UDC and also when I decided to request therapy from the student wellness center. It’s hard most times to get your body to return to the physical feeling of certain tumultuous times in your life. Our bodies and minds are fierce and resilient. They experience pain, learn from it, grow around it, and inevitably, forget it a little, consciously if they can, so we’re able to continue to live life as freely as possible. To remember pain is to feel pain. So while I can’t always feel the memory of what my body was holding at that time (grief from the death of a loved one, self-esteem troubles, processing difficult personal relationships, and of course, a global pandemic in full-swing, to start), I do very clearly remember staring at my computer screen and agonizing over one specific question on the student wellness therapy intake survey: “Do you feel confident in your ability to succeed in school?” The answer at that time was a frustrating “no”. It didn’t make sense to me. This was my second go round of school. I was 25 years old and much more prepared to take charge of my life than I had been eight years previously as a sheltered 17 year-old, dispassionately doing whatever I was told, my actual wants and needs oblivious to me. I had done well in grade school, with a few minor academic hiccups in high school that were resolved quickly. I liked school. So why did the thought of succeeding feel so impossible? Why did each semester to my goal feel like an endless, dreadfilled slog? Why did I have a stomach ache just thinking about it all? I liked school, right? I had recently discovered that it was highly likely that I had ADHD, something that had been on the periphery but I had largely ignored for the majority of my life, however my sister’s diagnosis made it an issue that I felt I could no longer ignore, especially as I was restarting my academic journey. Receiving a diagnosis for ADHD can be extremely difficult and costly, so while I wanted to have answers as to why I always felt slightly broken from a competency perspective, I knew I would benefit from working through much of the shame that accompanied some of my perceived past failings. So to revisit my therapy needlist: Grief counseling Shame untangling Self-esteem work ADHD and academic coaching and , non-negotiable for me, Black woman therapist When I found my way to UDC’s wellness page, I was a little apprehensive but too in need to care. I’d had some experience with talk therapy before, and while it was a little helpful, I found that I found myself venting more than working through things in a wholly productive manner; something I attribute more to where I was in life at that time. Nevertheless I really didn’t want to repeat that pattern so I looked over the list of counseling services topics and made a note of the areas that spoke to me. Stress management, check, anxiety, check, feeling “stuck”, yup, relationship issues/family problems, self-esteem, trauma, grief, procrastination, difficulties with adjusting, check, check, check, check, check, check. Almost everything I was seeking help with was specifically listed, a small thing, you might say, but it gave me a not insignificant swallow of comfort and I was fortified with the knowledge that I wasn’t alone in feeling like a complete and utter disaster; it made me feel more human instead of just wrong. I took the first step and called to make an appointment, and was assured during intake that my therapist preferences would be prioritized if at all possible; and they were. So there I was, staring at the computer screen, facing the question; “Do you feel confident in your ability to succeed in school?” I knew I didn’t, but now I knew that I didn’t have to face my lack of confidence alone, which made a world of difference. My therapist ended up being a great fit for me and together we’ve made significant progress on so many of the needs I brought with me on our first day. With her assistance and the support of a friend, both in actions and accountability, I was able to receive an official diagnosis for my ADHD and be connected to resources to help manage and strategize around it. I recently brought up in a session that now, most of the time, I do feel confident in my ability to succeed in school and life, which is massively significant for a girl who spent so many years of her life feeling like a purposeless ball of potential energy. It’s important to note that I don’t feel “fixed” or perpetually well and happy, let alone confident all of the time. Mental health can be terribly difficult to navigate and anything from a grief-anniversary to hormone fluctuations can send you reeling for no less than a week. But it is so beneficial to intentionally explore the tension points in your heart and mind because they will not go away. There has been a massive spike in demand for therapists since the start of the pandemic in 2020. According to the 2022 Practitioner Impact Survey, six in ten practitioners say they no longer have openings for new patients, 46% say they cannot meet the demand for treatment, and 72% have longer waitlists than they did prior to the pandemic (APA). Therapists are reporting burnout and the increase of information around therapeutic practices can make it easy to misunderstand or even weaponize terminology and underlying issues (as seen with Jonah Hill’s abusive misuse of therapy talk with his girlfriend). Taking advantage of therapy at school is a great low risk, high reward way to see if talk therapy is a good fit for you. Interested in finding out more? Visit UDC’s counseling and wellness center for more information, contact info, and other helpful resources and tips, or scroll to the bottom of the article for links as well! Don’t think talk therapy is for you, or aren’t able to try at the moment, you aren’t alone! There are so many ways to check in with your mental health and create a practice of emotional authenticity and self-accountability. A host of interactive reading materials exist from experts on different issues you might be experiencing. Find a wellness practice to spark joy for you. Something I know to be true is the efficacy of movement in boosting positive endorphins. I also know as a person with adhd, very little athletic background, and a complete inability to maintain routines for myself, that consistent activity can be very hard to achieve. Give yourself grace to try things and have them not work. You enjoy morning walks but can’t bring yourself to get out of bed in time? That’s okay, maybe it isn’t feasible for you at the time, and you’re now a step closer to finding something that is. The most important “tip” I can give however is the cliche but so true adage; no man is an island. Connect to your community, find friends who are deeply committed to the values you hold dear and support each other in your goals, hold each other accountable, and take care of each other and your fellow man. You are not alone, and you don’t have to be. Resources UDC Resources Group Therapy Is winter especially difficult for your mental health? This Winter Toolkit has helpful tips and resources to ease your way through the cold days. Need a pick me up? Games for change has a searchable database of Mental Health Video Games by topic and platform! If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. If you are in distress and need someone to talk to, you can reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1.800.273.TALK or 1.800.273.8255. You can also text the Crisis Text Line: Text “START” to 741-741. To get emergency psychiatric care or need help with problem-solving, you can contact the DC Access HelpLine at 1(888)7WE-HELP or 1-888-793.4357. Links: Winter Toolkit: https://docs.udc.edu/cwc/Winter-Toolkit-12... Mental Health Video Games: https://www.gamesforchange.org/games/?_sf_... UDC Resources: https://my.udc.edu/UDCPRODU8/Counseling-an... If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Sam Harden
Library Assistant, Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School - College Not Listed - class of 2025 Member Since December 2023 |
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