Mental Health; Freshman Year

Freshman year. I thought when I came to college, and started my life over, things would get better. Here’s a secret: they didn’t. Life is equally as hard wherever you are and whoever’s shoes you’re in. We all have our issues, some more than others, but what I am not going to do is tell you that all my problems vanished when I got into USC. What I am going to do is tell you how I’ve changed.

Mental health is always challenging, and it is going to be challenging me for the rest of my life. This semester, I received a new diagnosis, one that I have been wondering about for some time- ADHD. Relief, then stress as I learned to navigate the world with the new information I have been given, but that taught me how to accept myself more for the things I could not control. I now have a more worldly view of time management, care for myself, and sympathy for those around me.

I continue to struggle with focus, I continue to struggle with putting in my best effort- especially being online. Sometimes it can be hard to convince yourself to wake up in the morning, to do the simplest of tasks for one reason or another. I learned rewards did not work for me, accountability partners did not work for me, and conversations with staff to help find solutions to my problems doesn’t work for me. Instead, I came across this article, which I cannot fully remember or find, but whenever I find myself feeling those problems, I think of a phrase from that article; “run the dishwasher twice.” Out of context, that line is sort of silly. However, it essentially means that there are no real rules in life, and there are no ways that things are “supposed” to be done. If something can make your life easier, and the risks aren’t greater than the reward, do it.

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This piece was written in partial completion of my Freshman Writ-150 coursework at the University of Southern California. Final Portfolio Reflection.