Ever since my freshman/sophomore years in high school, I’ve felt symptoms of depression and anxiety overwhelmingly, and have not really found an outlet to which I could release these feelings other than crying or bottling it up. However, I have found solace in music and meeting new people. Listening to music (almost like leisure reading) puts me in a different universe where things that stress me out, like college and grades, no longer matter. I can lose myself in the lyrics and the steady rhythm of the song, which is why I feel such a strong attachment to music in my life. Meeting new people does the same if not more for my mental. Especially when I meet people that are like me, it makes me feel like I’m not struggling through this part of my life alone. They give me a new perspective (and sometimes new motivation) on growing up and trying to find the person we are set in life to be. Both of these things pay an enormous contribution to how I keep a relatively good mood (though not always easy) when my life literally feels like it’s falling apart. I wonder how many other people use those things as an escape too.