By Priota Prakash, Trinity College Student
Mental health is very real and happens to people no matter who you are or what age you are. With all of us being stuck in this unfortunate pandemic, we are all facing our struggles in our own ways, and some of us reading this today are working very hard to reach our goals and graduate Trinity with flying colours.
During my eight months in Trinity, keeping up the motivation to work and the worsening of my mental health came hand in hand. People often underestimate how emotionally draining it can be to study from home with the continuous feeling of unvarying and a very repetitive routine and yet wanting to push through all the negative feelings and get out of bed to keep on working. To add on top of that, there is the ongoing stress of seeing people suffer with Covid-19 around the world with various different waves happening at the same time. It is not easy being an international student and belonging in this transitioning period of our lives where we are fighting to get into our choice of university and also finding our way in life and figuring out who we are as individuals. While I was talking to some of my friends, one thing I found common was that most of us had a feeling that we are alone in this journey and are stumbling our way through as mental health tries to snatch away our sanity.
Besides, being stuck at home has gotten most people to face the worst cases of mental health and I would be lying if I say I didn’t face any of my own issues. It has been a struggle to get out of bed and go through another day, keep studying, attend classes and give exams and socialising through online platforms among various other engagements. I have faced days where I have had the worst mental break downs, where I was completely unable to function. Not just because of studying but also because of my own personal issues with stress and anxiety. In addition, with everything being online, it can be hard to truly expresses what one is feeling through your screen, which may result in suppressing emotions, and for that, I would say; SUPPRESS YOUR EMOTIONS AFTER YOUR EXAMS!
However, I do consider myself to be very lucky because not only does Trinity have one of the most amazing communities, but they also have one of the most supportive staff. In one of my worst days when I struggled the most with my mental health, I reached out to my tutor and let them know about it, and soon enough they considered my situation and gave me an extension for my assessment submission when knowing I was struggling with my mental health issues. This was a big surprise to me and in fact a great motivation, knowing that Trinity college didn’t just care about my physical health but also my mental health how it affected my academics; this made me quite proud of where I was studying. And it also gave me a little reminder that it is okay to reach out for help and that it will never make you look weak.
Now that I am graduating trinity still unsure of what the future holds, when I look back, I wouldn’t say anything less than that my journey was absolutely amazing and that I do not regret joining Trinity college. I met few of the most wonderful and extraordinary people during my time at Trinity and if I am being honest, they helped me survive this journey. I am so grateful that I had a friend to talk to through the stress of my exams and study together when we needed moral support. So, if I could pass on what I gained from this year, I would say, it is okay to put yourself first and look after your health while also looking out for others as we still have a long way to go.