From Crisis to Success: A Personal Story on Mental Health

In 2007, I found myself standing at a precipice. It was my final semester of a Master’s in Computer Science, and I was staring down one of the most challenging courses in the curriculum—Analysis of Algorithms, taught by Dr. Narasimhan at Florida International University (FIU). This wasn’t just another class; it was a gatekeeper. The kind of course that could make or break my graduation. But it wasn’t just academic pressure that weighed on me. I was juggling a full-time job, family responsibilities, and the mounting stress of it all.

Dropping the course seemed like a logical option. The problem? It was only offered once a year. Delaying the course meant delaying graduation by at least a year, a delay I could not afford. What made me think next year would be any easier? Could I bear the uncertainty of more stress, more juggling, and possibly even greater challenges?

The Crushing Weight of Expectations

Much like many students today, I found myself trapped in the impossible expectation of being everything to everyone. A good student. A committed employee. A responsible parent. And somewhere, in the middle of all of that, trying to maintain some semblance of self-care. But as the semester progressed, I felt everything starting to unravel. No matter how hard I tried to compartmentalize my life, the lines blurred. Family obligations bled into study time. Work demands cut into family time. And academic pressure loomed over everything.

I reached a point where it wasn’t just the coursework that overwhelmed me. It was the suffocating feeling of not having enough hours in the day. I was doing too much, and in trying to be everything to everyone, I was losing myself. Mentally, I was exhausted. Emotionally, I was at a breaking point. It wasn’t just academic pressure anymore—it was the sense that I was losing control over every aspect of my life.

The Moment I Asked for Help

That’s when I did something I never thought I would need to do—I sought professional help. At first, it felt like admitting failure, like I wasn’t strong enough to handle everything on my own. But in hindsight, reaching out for support was the strongest decision I made that year. I began seeing a counselor once a week, and those sessions gave me the tools to break down my challenges into manageable parts.

Much like debugging a complicated codebase, I had to identify the problem areas and work through them one by one. There wasn’t an instant solution, but with guidance, I slowly began to regain control. The overwhelming problems that once seemed impossible to untangle became more approachable. Piece by piece, I found a way to move forward.

A Mental Health Crisis We Can’t Ignore

In the end, I passed the course, graduated on time, and moved forward with my life. But what I learned during that semester has stayed with me since then—mental health is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. It was the key to my academic success, and it’s something that today’s college students need to prioritize more than ever.

Over 60% of college students today report struggling with anxiety, depression, or stress. The pressures of balancing work, family, and academics can feel insurmountable. And while it may seem like pushing through is the only option, sometimes the strongest thing you can do is step back and ask for help.

What You Can Do Today

If you’re a college student struggling to keep everything together, I want you to know that you’re not alone. It’s okay to ask for help. In fact, it’s necessary. Whether it’s reaching out to a counselor, talking to a mentor, or confiding in a friend, seeking support is not a sign of weakness—it’s a step toward taking control.

The challenges you face now may seem overwhelming, but they are not insurmountable. Just like debugging a complicated algorithm, sometimes the key to moving forward is breaking the problem down into smaller, more manageable parts. And with the right support, you can do exactly that.

Your mental health is not something to put on hold until life gets easier. It’s something to prioritize so you can make it through the tough times with your sense of self intact.