We live in a society at war with its own ideology. It is a society that ingested the mindset of the Romantic Period like a radioactive pebble to gain super powers, and though it was successful in that endeavor, it now has no idea what to do about the residential areas it keeps lighting on fire whenever it sneezes. Students, how often have you been told that you can be whatever you want to be, so you need to select one of several predetermined choices of majors? How often have you been told that school is all about finding your calling in life and perfecting your practice of it, only to be forced to take other classes that get in the way of all of that, to deal with a curriculum that actually seems to take things out of you? And I’m sure you’ve been told to take time for yourself once in a while, but when you actually try to do that, you get severely penalized in some way.

Poly students, this is your dead week. Cuesta students, I can only imagine that you’re drowning in three-weeks-till-spring-break-triggered midterms. The last thing you should probably be doing is taking five minutes of your time to read approximately 400 words. But as sarcastic as that last sentence made a feeble attempt to be, let’s be serious. Since this society pretends to glorify your individuality, let’s do something that really counts. Let’s actually take care of it.

Have you heard of mental health? It’s not related to the latest case of badger flu the Brits are fighting off. It’s about taking care of the brain that makes you unique, the brain that makes you function. It’s about taking care of emotions and dealing with issues from the past. I have no fabricated statistics to wave around, but I’d still be willing to bet that most students are struggling with something pretty nasty, and there’s a chance they don’t have the support they need. So whether you’re fighting off bullies, fighting off memories of fighting off bullies, going through trouble at home, with friends, with lovers, being crushed to your death under a heavy load of homework or even at-the-job-work, you should be aware that there are counselors at your school and various student groups to help you with that. Check out your school’s health department. There’s a good list of programs available at slothestigma.org/seeking-help, so that’s definitely worth checking out.

The truth is that there is no shame in feeling that you cannot do things alone. It doesn’t mean you aren’t working hard enough. Just because school is known for being a tumultuous time in one’s life doesn’t mean that it has to be that way, doesn’t mean that it should be that way, doesn’t excuse it from anything. And the instant that anyone forgets that is the instant that everything this whole process is supposed to be working people toward falls into splintery shambles. Good luck on the weeks remaining before spring break. ∆

Intern Chris White-Sanborn is out of witty banter, and this tagline will suffer as a result. Send collegiate-related anything (not just news) to [email protected].