Title: Kate Barranco (SFS’23)
As the executive policy director of student wellness, I oversee the Mental Health Policy Team for the Georgetown University Student Association. Not only have we been having discussions on our own mental health, but also in how we can better equip students with the tools, resources and communities they need right now.
Although we Hoyas are involved in many extracurricular activities, research, internships and difficult coursework, we rarely take the time to slow down and really check in with our own well-being. I went to therapy/therapy group for the first time, and it has been the most rewarding and important parts of maintaining my mental health during the pandemic and in navigating the current social justice issues. Finding community both inside and outside of therapy is important in helping me cope with stress and various emotional battles this past year. It’s important to honor what you’re feeling and seek support when you want/need it.
College is hard enough before you add a pandemic, tumultuous political scene and a recession on top of it. Affordable, accessible and equitable mental health resources are important and necessary. No longer should there be stigma surrounding taking care of your emotional well-being. Now more than ever, we need to honor and recognize that we can’t perform perfectly or at our best, and seeking support is not something for which one should feel shame.