By BingQian Tang
Image via PopSugar.com
My name is BingQian and I am writing this article to let people out there who are also wondering know that they are not alone.
I am not a great writer. English is my second language. When I speak about something like my mental health, it takes a lot of courage, but I still wanted to write this article because I know how painful it is to feel alone, isolated and hopeless.
I am a freshman that also lives on campus, who has also been diagnosed with depression and anxiety for years. I believe that no matter if you have a mental illness or not, you’re a freshman or not, or you are living on campus or not, the pandemic has affected you and you could relate to me in some ways.
The pandemic took away my high school senior experience, like prom and graduation. I remember the days that I locked myself in the house, I was in denial and just wished it would go away if I didn't think about it. I was not able to attend classes, because I was stuck in the black hole of stress and anxiety.
I was afraid that it is also going to take away my first year of college too, so I decided to dorm during this unprecedented time to keep the last college experience that I have control of.
However, as a freshman who doesn’t know anyone, all I can do is watch people outside, being too afraid to reach out. My negative self esteem has another excuse to not have any human interaction.
I have already reached out to the counseling center for their counseling group and I strongly suggest anyone who experiences what I experienced to do so. By listening to people who have similar conditions and experiences, I hope I could be more motivated and have a sense of belonging. I believe that learning to cope with stress healthily will make me and our community stronger.
Staff at the counseling center (Image via Purchase.edu)
The counseling center is full remote for the fall 2020 semester. They continue to provide individual and group therapy. Students can call the counseling center at (914) 251-6390 or email COU.counseling.center@purchase.edu to schedule a 45 to 50 minute individual session with a counselor or could join one of the counseling groups available.
More information is available at https://www.purchase.edu/counseling-center/about-counseling/group-counseling/.For students who just want to have a quick talk, they can also go to an event called “Let’s Talk.” Students can find it on the student calendar, and anyone can pop in and confidently talk for about 15 minutes, and no record will be left.
If someone is experiencing a mental health emergency, at any time students should call the New York State University Police (NYSUP) at (914) 251-6911 and request for “Confidential Call” with a counselor on call.
You are not the only one dealing with stress, let’s go through it together.