Health Science Reviews

By Chone Makhubela

I began my Honours year with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty and pressure emotions I could not quite explain or trace. The good and the bad were unfolding simultaneously, and I struggled to balance both my personal and academic responsibilities. More often than not, I allowed one negative moment to outweigh the ten positive things happening in my life. Eventually, I sought professional help and was diagnosed with severe depression and moderate anxiety. While these conditions have become common among young people today, I initially believed they were sometimes overstated. After all, not every case of stress or nervousness signals a deeper issue. I personally refused to accept the diagnosis, not something I advise others to do. I had my own reasons. I am a woman of faith, and while not everything can be prayed away, I believe each person should choose what works best for them.

Though I was isolating myself emotionally, I believed I was only experiencing mild stress. To counter the loneliness, I threw myself into extracurricular activities and surrounded myself with people whenever possible. At the same time, I remained committed to my personal growth and academic performance. I pushed myself to the limit, managing to study for and complete all my exams. Eventually, though, I reached a breaking point. The weight of facing everything alone and bottling up my struggles became too much. But that breaking point turned out to be my turning point. I made the decision to let go of one deeply negative factor that was affecting every aspect of my life.

Now, as I approach the end of the year, I can confidently say I am finishing strong. I have regained the strength I lost during the first six months, and I am in a much happier, more balanced place. One important lesson I have taken from this experience is this: as human beings, we often focus so much on what is going wrong that we forget to appreciate what is going right. In doing so, we neglect the progress we have made. Moving forward, I choose to focus on what is going well while working to improve what is not and I encourage others to do the same.