Mental Health Matters

Written by: Leah Palladino

Lead: Taking care of your mental health is essential to your well being. Our mental state directly impacts our everyday lives, whether we admit it or not. I had the opportunity to talk to three different individuals about their struggles with mental health, how they overcame challenges and how they are doing now.

Lauren John, 20, has struggled with ADHD (Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and anxiety for most of her life. “My ADHD affected me a lot during middle school and high school. I had a hard time focusing in class which would then affect my academic performance. It may have looked like I wasn’t trying in school, but I was doing the best that I could.” She also said that she has bad anxiety, specifically when she is in large crowds and has to remove herself from the situation to relieve her stress.

Although Lauren still suffers from ADHD and anxiety today, she has found different relief techniques that have helped her tremendously. First, she started to take medication for her ADHD which has only had a positive impact on her mental well being. “Since taking medication, I am now able to focus more in my classes, which is extremely helpful for me especially in a college setting. It has really changed the way I learn.” Lauren also said that when she starts to experience anxious feelings again, she goes to an on-campus therapist at the University of Scranton. The therapist offers her a variety of ways to handle her anxiety, the most effective one being deep breathing exercises. Lauren is a very active member in many clubs at Scranton and said that getting the right treatment has improved her life significantly.

Haley Sullivan is a recent graduate from Clemson University and is now working with children in a hospital setting. During her time at Clemson, Haley struggled immensely with anxiety. Being so far away from New York (her home) triggered panic attacks and restlessness. “When I first got to Clemson, it was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything was so uncertain and unfamiliar which took its toll on my mental health.” Along with that, her grandfather unfortunately passed away during her first semester at school, magnifying her anxiety even more. She says however, her friends were such a great support system to her and she was able to discuss any mental health issues she was facing and in return they would give her helpful advice.

I asked Haley how her anxiety affected her overall well being. She said she felt “paralyzed” with fear and was unable to leave her dorm or apartment most of the time. “Because of my anxiety, I ended up skipping a lot of my classes during my time at Clemson, which did hurt my grades a bit. I was determined though to keep up on all my assignments so I could maintain a spot on the President’s List.” To get on the President’s List, students must maintain a 4.0 GPA during the semester. Haley said that anxiety medication changed her life. She was able to go out of her comfort zone, make new friends and enjoy her final year at Clemson. Haley also mentioned how her mom would always pick up her phone calls in times of distress and was able to calm her down from the racing thoughts she had. Lastly, Haley got a therapy dog she named Angel who provides emotional support. She is now living in North Carolina with her boyfriend Chris and loves her job involving helping kids.

Jill Palladino started feeling symptoms of depression after her father passed away from cancer in 2018. “I was just feeling super down all the time to the point where I felt so unmotivated to do regular daily tasks.” However, Jill said that taking care of her two daughters forced her to do stuff she enjoyed again, even though she wasn’t fully present at the moment. As relieved as she was that her father wasn’t in pain from chemotherapy anymore, the grief she was experiencing was nothing compared to anything she ever felt before.

When I asked her how she battled through this difficult time, she simply said that her friends helped her through it. She was considering taking antidepressant medication but ultimately chose not to because she didn’t want to have to rely on it. “Talking to my friends who have experienced similar grief with their parents truly helped me heal. I took their advice and opinions and applied it in my own life.” Jill says that she still gets emotional around holidays because it reminds her of her dad, but overall she is in a much better mindspace now. “Every holiday I imagine him sitting at the head of the dining room table and making the family laugh and it’s hard because he’s not here, but I think he would be proud of how I am doing today.”

As someone who has struggled with anxiety and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) myself, I admire the strength that the individuals interviewed above demonstrate. Mental health may not be visible, but it is still a very real thing people struggle with. I believe that everyone has different ways of coping with the situations they are in. We can’t judge someone for their choices because we don’t know what they have gone through. I think by prioritizing your mental health, you will become more open to new opportunities and take risks that seemed scary before. Healing is not always a linear path for everyone, but focusing on your main goal is a great way to keep yourself on track. Mental health is still very stigmatized and there should be more open conversations about it in the future.   

For anyone struggling with their mental health; it’s ok to not be ok. You are not alone. We all go through different situations in our life that will impact us in one way or another. If you know someone struggling with their mental health, always be sure to check in on them. It can make a greater difference than you might realize.

Mental Health Matters