If anything deserves an emotional response, I cry. If I’m happy, there are tears. Sad? tears. Cold? crying. Did I see a dog? practically sobbing. I told my dean that my goal was to not cry during finals and he said that that might not be a good goal as I seem to be a crier. I promise I’m not an emotional wreck, my body just really enjoys producing tears.

I do, however, have anxiety. And part of it (there are many parts but this is one) definitely stems from the desire to make it seem like I have everything together. My tendency to cry directly conflicts with that and makes me that much more stressed.

I’m very lucky to have ended up at a school like Middlebury that has all the support in place for students like me who have anxiety or other struggles. My dean has helped me out so much with stress management, encouragement, and even some (surprisingly helpful) boy advice. He (and other super helpful people- read the student resource guide for more) have told me that it’s ok to not be perfect, feel a full range of emotions and even -gasp- let other people know that I’m not a robot.

That being said, I managed my time and stress well during finals and finished the week tear free. I emailed my dean & he said he was proud of me.