Dear Millie,

How do I ask for help in the middle of a breakdown?

Asking for help when you’re struggling can be really difficult. When you’re already overwhelmed, seeking help can feel like just another thing you have to do and it can feel like a burden. Mental health is personal, and it requires vulnerability to admit when you’re not at the top of your game. However, avoiding the topic can make you feel more isolated, and no one should have to struggle alone. Remember, you would most likely be willing to help any of your loved ones if they were struggling so why would they be any different? The people who care about you want you to get the help you need, they just have to know you need it. Help them help you by filling them in.

If you don’t know where to start, it may be helpful to write out how you’re feeling and pinpoint some of the sources of your stress. This could give you some insight into what to do next. If a certain class or assignment is giving you grief, it may be most helpful to try to meet with your professor, a trusted classmate, or a peer working at the Center for Academic Resources. If you’re in an interpersonal conflict with a close friend, it might be time to sit down with them and have an honest discussion about how it’s affecting you both and make a plan to resolve the issue. Sometimes, it’s difficult to identify one cause of your distress, and that’s okay, too. Everyone has bad days, and everyone deserves to be supported through them. There are resources on campus, like counseling services, to help you work through difficult times if you don’t already have a solid support system, or if you’d just like to add another person to it. Counseling services phone number is (515) 961-1332 and their email is [email protected].

Give yourself grace and know that you are worth helping.

Yours Truly,
Millie