The College Diaries: Mental Health

Today I want to tackle a conversation that has been sitting on in my mind for a little while now, and I never knew how to address it on the blog. We talk about books here, but for those who followed us since the very start of The Book Bratz knows how we are huge mental health supporters and I've even shared my story of mental illness back in 2016. But this post is about school and mental health and being ready for your future. I want to share my story in hopes that in maybe some way shape or form that it will help someone. Because if you are feeling like this in this moment, I want you to know that you aren't alone. 

In 2017 I took a hiatus from blogging rather abruptly, I put a post up saying how I was leaving The Book Bratz for undetermined amount of time and to be honest with you I wasn't sure if I was ever going to come back to something that I thought I loved with my whole entire heart. I stopped reading, I didn't keep up with my favorite blogs or bloggers. I barley talked to Jessica or Emily (Maybe a couple of times a month, if that.)  I didn't only quit The Book Bratz, I also dropped out of college several months prior. I had three weeks left in my first semester and I decided to drop out. I spent 2017 struggling with my mental health, I had extreme highs and really bad lows. My lows were ugly and my highs were even uglier. It wasn't a pretty time in my life, but it is a time of my life that I use as a lesson. 

For returning college students, new college students, high schools students who are beginning to plan their futures: It is okay to not be sure what you want. It is alright to take a step back and want time off to focus on yourself. College is not a race to see who finishes first and if you view it that way it isn't going to be an experience you think very fondly of. It is also incredibly important to put you and your mental health first. Because without you being alright, is everything else you want in life going to be accomplished if all you want to do is give up? 

It took me a little over a year to find myself, to find my passion and to get myself back to the girl I was. In January 2018 I went back to school, I got a 3.5 for the semester, I started blogging again and I rekindled my friendship with my two best friends. I cut out the toxic things from my life and it wasn't easy. But it was something that I had to do to move forward. 

This post is kind of a mess, but it is my way of showing that no one is alone out there and if you feel alone you really aren't. We have this beautiful platform with amazing people that we created and I wanted to take at least one post to be real with out followers (We always are real, but being real about mental health is another thing.) 

If any of you ever need anything at all. To talk/vent/ask advice our e-mail/DMs are always open anytime of the day. If you wanted to talk directly to me, you can find me on twitter at @amber_shep. Please know that you are never a lone, and this post is just my way of trying to show you that you aren't.