The Major League with Savannah RobinsonThe Major League with Savannah Robinson
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Savannah and Blue Robinson talk candidly about the mental health challenges of a first semester away from home, from ADHD and anxiety to loneliness and faith. Their chat links college pressures with recovery principles like self-care, asking for help and taking life one small step at a time.
39:50•3 Dec 2024
Mental Health, Independence and Faith: Savannah’s First Semester Reality Check
Episode Overview
- Self-care needs to come before grades and social life, even though it’s usually the first thing dropped.
- Simple actions like short walks, drives or journalling can ease anxiety and help process long, stressful days.
- Asking questions and using your voice with teachers, support staff and peers is crucial for coping at college.
- You are never completely stuck; changing course, including moving home, is an option if you’ve genuinely given things a fair try.
- Perspective matters: focusing on the next small step, rather than the next five years, makes heavy situations more manageable.
“It doesn’t matter where you go or how you choose to live your life… these things are still going to come up one way or another. It’s just going to be the outlook we choose to take on it.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety and adulthood at the same time? This conversation between college student Savannah Robinson and her dad, addiction counsellor Blue Robinson, gives a surprisingly real look at that messy overlap.
Savannah shares what it felt like the moment her family closed the door on move-in day: “I remember the second you guys all hugged me goodbye and that door closed, I said… okay, now what do I do?” From there, she talks honestly about the mental health strain of first-year college life – ADHD paralysis, tight finances, a tiny town with “two grocery stores” and very few distractions, and the pressure to juggle self-care, grades, and a social life.
You’ll hear how she’s learning to put her wellbeing first (even though “I will throw that one out to the side so quick” for homework), using simple tools like walks, drives and journalling to calm anxiety and process the day. Blue links these habits straight back to skills used in recovery work: breaking big goals into “mile one, mile two” instead of obsessing over the finish line, and choosing how long to “stay on the ride” of low mood.
A big thread running through the chat is connection – asking for help, talking to teachers, leaning on one or two close friends instead of chasing a huge party crowd, and, for Savannah, reconnecting with her spiritual life when she felt truly alone. She’s become the “therapist friend” in her flat, but is clear that advice only matters when people act on it.
If you or someone you love is facing early recovery, early adulthood, or both, this episode might have you asking: where could you put your own self-care back at the top of the list?
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