How do I cope when life feels hopeless?
Jesse Hanson, Ph.D.
– Written by
Mark Dombeck, Ph.D.
– Updated on August 20, 2025
Question
I’m a 26-year-old woman, married, a college graduate, and a mom to a five-year-old. Lately, I’ve been falling apart emotionally. I feel out of control and angry and I’ve been slamming things and throwing objects when I get mad. I’m constantly on edge, exhausted, nauseous and crying almost every day.
I’m overwhelmed with anxiety and feel like I’m on the verge of a breakdown. There’s so much stress in every part of my life and most of it feels completely out of my control.
I can’t afford to see a doctor and we don’t have insurance. I feel hopeless, like my life will always be this way. I don’t know what to do or how to cope. Please help.
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Answer
As a college student you are likely eligible to receive mental health care through your college health service for free or at a very reduced cost. Such care might include access to individual and/or group counseling and access to a Psychiatrist and psychiatric medication if needed.
Another possibility to consider is that some universities (those with graduate programs in counseling or clinical psychology) make psychotherapy available to the public at very low prices as part of a university-sponsored psychology clinic. The counselors at such a clinic are likely to be graduate student therapists under the supervision of a licensed therapist, but for your purposes this is just fine.
Still a third option is to locate the public community mental health service for your region and see if you can be evaluated and cared for in that environment. Community mental health services are generally government-sponsored clinics where psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists offer low cost mental health services to the uninsured general public.
A forth option is to get a hold of a good self-help reference book and see what following the recommendations in such a book can do for you.
I do recommend that you seek out professional mental health help, and a general medical exam as well. It is possible that your physical health needs some attention and that will solve things. It is also possible that you are experiencing a serious depression or some related disorder that will benefit from medical or psychological attention.
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We are a health technology company that guides people toward self-understanding and connection. The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities. Its purpose is to educate, support, and empower people in their pursuit of well-being.
Jesse Hanson, Ph.D., is a somatic psychologist with more than 20 years of experience in clinical psychology and neuropsychology.
Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. is a trauma-informed psychologist with over 30 years of experience helping people navigate mental health challenges.
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Jesse Hanson, Ph.D.
– Written by
Mark Dombeck, Ph.D.
– Updated on August 20, 2025
Additional Reading
The Clinical Affairs Team at MentalHealth.com is a dedicated group of medical professionals with diverse and extensive clinical experience. They actively contribute to the development of content, products, and services, and meticulously review all medical material before publication to ensure accuracy and alignment with current research and conversations in mental health. For more information, please visit the Editorial Policy.
We are a health technology company that guides people toward self-understanding and connection. The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities. Its purpose is to educate, support, and empower people in their pursuit of well-being.