Do not be ashamed of your emotions and bottle them up look for help if you need it. MCT Campus
Let’s be real, we all know that when placed under too much pressure, we tend to explode.Although college is supposed to be the best years of our lives, it also comes with its fair share of pressure.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid said explosion. Like basic physics, the key is to release the pressure in a less eruptive, violent form. Hence, the term “venting.”
Less scientifically, it’s important for everyone, especially us college students, to talk about what we’re going through. Let me tell you why.
We carry enough weight on our shoulders at this point in our lives. If you have something bothering you that you have forced back down out of shame, pride, or fear, it’s going to take a toll.
It’s going to brew inside you as more time passes on until it boils into an explosion and all of the sudden you find yourself screaming at the cashier at Meijer for bagging your dish soap with your eggs.
It can alter your focus at school and work. It can put you on edge around the people you love.
You might explode on other people, or you might even take it out on yourself. Don’t start a mental war with yourself.
“Expressing feelings is one of the main ways that most people cope with their emotions, especially when the emotions are overwhelming,” University counselor, MA, LLP, LPC Tom Liszewski said. “Expression can be verbal, but also through journaling, drawing, or meditating.”
Don’t ever be ashamed for being human. We all have feelings, we all get stressed out, and we all get upset over things. It doesn’t make you weak. It doesn’t make you inferior. Anybody who makes you feel that way is only lying to themselves.
My advice to you and to anybody is just to talk to someone. Everyone has that one person they can trust with anything. Go to them and just vent. Listen to loud music, punch your pillow, make art, build something, or write. Just get it out and be human because we all have our moments. We all need to release the pressure that we accumulate at this age.
If you don’t take my word for it, the friendly folks at the Ferris State Personal Counseling Center can provide some expert advice.
Liszewski recommends talking to a trusted friend, mentor, practicing mindfulness, prayer, or utilize the counseling center.
“The counseling centers research shows that about half the people resolve the problem that brought them into counseling,” Liszewski said. “But here it the most important result of the research: no one reported getting worse with the emotional problem that brought them to counseling!”
From personal experience working at the counseling center last year, I can say with confidence that each counselor is very welcoming, easy to talk to, and most importantly, they genuinely care about your well-being.
If you are interested in seeing what they have to offer or just having someone to talk to, the Personal Counseling Center is located on the second floor of the Birkam Health Center. More information such as hours of operation can be found on the Ferris website.