Waking down that hallway, opening the double doors of the counseling center and mustering up the courage to ask for a walk-in appointment...it's one of the scariest things I've encountered since I've been in college.

But I knew I was ready.

Okay, I'll be honest: it wasn't a decision I made all on my own. If you think I was ready to bring myself to the center all on my lonesome, you're sadly mistaken.

I don't know what got into me last weekend. I hadn't hit any particular low point, I wasn't any more stressed than I already was and I hadn't had a mental breakdown. All the same, I was afraid. I was becoming anxious about the next time things would take a turn for the worse.

I realized I couldn't continue any further without talking to someone. It was time to become open to people helping me.

You may feel as if your problem isn't serious enough to warrant a trip to the counseling center, but that's rarely true. There comes a time when you have to realize that maybe your problems are here to stay. The fear, then, is that your problems may never go away.

But that's where counseling comes in.

For me, going to the walk-in clinic was a huge step. There was no denying my issues, but it was another thing to speak them aloud.

It scared me and it still scares me to know that I'm going back, but I know it's for the better. All the same, I needed the guiding arm of a friend to tell me this was the place I needed to be.

If counseling still seems like one step too far, the open ear of a friend is always the best treatment. They can't diagnose you or help you in a psychiatric sense, but letting go of everything on your mind over a latte or b-for-d in the dining hall will clear your mind, at least for the time being. And with a less cloudy mind, you can evaluate whether counseling is the right thing for you.

If you do make that decision, you'll probably be nervous that the center is too full, or that you won't like your therapist, or that someone else needs treatment more.

Don't be. I worried about all of those things, but I'm proud of the step I took this week to seek help. I'm looking forward to calling the office on Friday and I hope I have an appointment scheduled.

Whether or not the very full counseling center has a spot for me, the thirty minutes of the walk-in I attended helped me come to an important realization: that talking to someone is the best remedy.

No one should be ashamed of seeking help. Even if it's just a thirty-minute walk-in appointment.

Be brave. As always, we can take this on together.

Suglia is a freshman journalism major from Pinehurst who writes about mental health issues. She says she's still fighting the battle, but plans to win the war.