Grace Bevers

Photography by Greer Diaz

If you’re reading this, I am here for you.

Hello! My name is Grace Bevers and I am a rising junior at UW. While I have so much love for this school and campus, I have certainly dealt with my fair share of mental health challenges during my time as a student. I came into freshman year wide-eyed and excited, to quickly be met with feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, and insecurity. Everyone around me seemed to get their footing so quickly, yet I felt like I was struggling just to keep my head above water.

I think we are so conditioned to believe that college will be the “best four years” of our life, that we put pressure on ourselves to constantly appear like we are thriving, often leading to the dismissal or minimization of mental health challenges that many of us face. Feeling like I had to “keep up” with the people around me was exhausting, and certainly did not help my self-esteem.

Learning how to balance all these new aspects of my life was extremely difficult, and it took me a long time to learn the importance of self-compassion. I found that I was my own harshest critic, often pushing myself beyond my limits and rarely acknowledging my own achievements.

It was difficult to admit this to myself, but once I did, I was able to give myself grace and be kinder to myself and my mental health needs. While at the moment I felt very alone, the more time I spend at this school and the more relationships I build, I have come to realize that no one had a perfect freshman year. No one was actually thriving despite how it may have looked on social media (though this isn’t to say you can’t have a great freshman year). Looking back on my own freshman year there were many challenges, but I also learned so much and came out the other side a stronger person.

I still face mental health challenges today that sometimes feel very manageable and sometimes feel very overwhelming. However, I now know that I am not alone. I have awesome people around me who show me so much support, and while I am nowhere near perfect, I can confidently say that I know how to show up for myself better now than I did  two years ago.

All this goes to say: college is difficult. It is a time of intense growth and change. However, by openly discussing this and simply letting one another know we are there for each other, I truly believe we will all feel more valued and will have a great four years!

Grace B., University of Wisconsin

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