JULIE FROMM / ASST. OPINION EDITOR

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

61%  of  the  Gen Z  population  has been diagnosed with anxiety, According to a study by Harmony Healthcare IT, a data management firm for healthcare organizations.  This number is why our generation has been labeled the “Anxious Generation,” as unprecedented amounts of young adults are struggling with anxiety disorders. 

Anxiety is something I’ve had to grapple with for my entire life. Worrying feels like it  comes  naturally  to  me  and is  how I have navigated my life, whether it’s trying to make decisions about my future, maintaining my relationships with my friends, trying to get assignments turned in on time or even making simple dinner plans. Although I’ve found ways to cope with it as I’ve grown up, my anxiety recently shifted and morphed into something unmanageable. I was up all night tossing and turning, unable to find sleep. I had an extremely low appetite, and I couldn’t garner the energy to go to school. After some time had passed in this cycle, I realized that I needed help. But when I tried to ask for it, it felt like an insurmountable hurdle. 

I am very lucky to have family and friends who love and support me, but my anxiety and self-doubt led me to believe that by asking them for help, I would be burdening them. I worried that they would think that I was overreacting, that I should just toughen up, that everyone has anxieties and that my situation is not unique. Not only did I not want to ask for help, but I believed that no one could understand what I was feeling, even if I tried to explain. On the surface, it looked like my friends were balancing school, work and relationships perfectly, and my classmates didn’t seem overwhelmed by the workloads we were given. These thoughts prevented me from asking for help for quite a while, and I allowed myself to believe my anxiety when it told me that asking for help was too big a task to complete. I began to feel completely alone, but I knew that I couldn’t carry the weight of these feelings by myself. 

I finally decided that the only way I was going to get better was by tackling my fears head on. I started by doing research on how I was feeling; I hoped that this would make me feel less alone in my struggles, and I was right. A survey from the American College Health Association, an association dedicated to creating healthy campus communities, found that three out of five university students experienced overwhelming anxiety, and 40% of respondents felt such severe symptoms of depression that they had difficulty functioning. College can be a whirlwind of change — living independently, taking care of yourself, balancing schoolwork, new friendships and new responsibilities. I still often find myself struggling to balance  my college life, even as a fourth-year student. Trying to manage my schoolwork and my severe anxiety at the same time felt like an impossible task. 

It’s okay to ask for help — even talking to a friend can go a long way. Photo courtesy of @Linkedln Sales Solution/Unsplash

Ultimately, what stopped me from asking  for help with my anxiety  was embarrassment and shame. Being vulnerable about how I am feeling is not something I am good at, and it was difficult for me to explain to my loved ones that things felt like they were getting out of hand. I felt that by telling them, I was admitting that I had a problem, and I didn’t want to have a problem. There are a multitude of reasons why it can be so hard for people to ask for help. According to Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, a psychoanalyst and clinical professor of leadership and organizational change ^­­— feelings of vulnerability, senses of victimhood, and the fear of rejection are just a few reasons why people could struggle to find a way to ask for help. I was so preoccupied with the idea that people would think something was wrong with me that I stopped myself from seeking help when there was really something wrong. 

Overcoming these feelings of shame and embarrassment was difficult, but once I did, I found that my friends and family were ready to help me through this rough patch. They pointed me towards resources that could help me, like therapy, and spent time talking with me about how I was feeling for as long as I wanted. They showed me no judgment — they only wanted to help me through my difficult emotions. Even as they helped, I still found myself feeling self-conscious. But as time went on, those feelings were alleviated. 

Now that I am starting to find ways to manage my anxiety and work through my worries, my only regret is that I didn’t ask for help sooner. There are resources all around us at USD that are ready to help students when they need it. USD’s My Wellness Portal and the Be Well USD website are two places to find resources that our campus offers to help students through difficult times. Not only can speaking to professionals help, but having open conversations with friends can be an excellent resource for comfort. Once I opened up to my friends and family about my anxieties, I realized that many of them had experienced or were experiencing similar feelings, and I felt less alone. 

It took me a long time to realize that I am not defined by my anxiety,\ and that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. Although it can feel overwhelming to say the words, “I need help,” it is always worth it. 

The USD Counseling Center has numerous accessible resources for our mental health. Photo courtesy of @bewellusd/Instagram