Buffalo, NY native Daneva Moncrieffe('21) will be candid about the path for her that wasn't easy by any stretch...

"For me, the “freshman fifteen” was real and so was the weight it bore on my self-esteem. First year is extraordinarily demanding. Simultaneously, I had to make new friends, manage a college-level workload, find the right organizations to join, and learn to be independent. Eventually, basic self-care practices went out the window. Sleep was a luxury and stress was a constant; a perfect recipe for unhealthy weight gain and consequently drastic loss of self-esteem.

Every night I would examine my body and critique what I saw. I felt like I could not wear certain clothes because “I did not have the body for it”. The number of my pants that I could comfortably fit was quickly decreasing. I became consumed with what I hated about my body and constantly compared myself to the seemingly infinite number of other girls with “perfect” bodies. This only helped to increase my stress and decrease the sense of control that I felt over my body and my will to change it."

If you've ever gotten caught up comparing yourself to someone else you're not alone. What's truly impressive about Daneva is not merely her boldness to talk about her personal struggle but her drive to lead by example for others!

"Reflecting back now, I recognize that my real problems stemmed from sleep deprivation and stress. Setting aside time for myself is still a challenge, but I now see the immense influence that proper sleep and regular eating has on my mind and body. When I get enough sleep I have the energy to get up in the mornings and go to the gym because I am not staying up late and stress eating. I hear self-care preached about often at Brown, but I think the best way to actually get other people to prioritize themselves is to lead by example. Rough patches happen, an all-nighter might get pulled, and that is okay. What I do not do is stress about it and get stuck in my bad habits rather I bounce back into my schedule and start choosing sleep again. "

Congrats Daneva. Keep Going!

For many the word therapy is a scary word that's linked to an imagined place for weakness. Ask Long Island, NY native Natalie Correa ('19) about her experience and you'll see it's really quite the opposite...

"My sophomore year, after a lifetime of having anxiety, I couldn't manage everything- my anxiety began to severely impede my daily life functioning and prevented me from being present in my relationships and academics. I was nervous to pursue things like therapy and academic accommodations due to stigma."

*Did you know one in four people in the US live with a diagnosable mental health issue, yet less than half seek treatment?

"I felt like I had to do everything on my own, and I was miserable. Pursuing help has made me feel like I am living my life for the first time. Going to therapy is one of the highlights of my week. One of my proudest accomplishments is the progress I have made in the last year in managing my health."

What's impressive about Natalie is not only her boldness to share of her journey to therapy but also how she's allowed it to fuel her purpose in helping others.

"Health isn't linear, there are still bad days, but I know that being honest with myself about my anxiety and taking advantages of the resources I have been lucky enough to have at my disposal have made happiness and success a lot more attainable for me. My experiences have deeply driven me to encourage and uplift others who are struggling with managing their mental health, and to keep that as a priority as I pursue becoming a doctor."

Congrats Natalie. Keep Going!