Musical Mermaid
Despite the anxiety, there are ways to cope.
A documentary production by Brodie Curtsinger
WKU senior Sam Hines of Owensboro, Ky. is diagnosed with anxiety. She has found ways to cope through it though, by playing her flute and in her free time, swimming through the water as a mermaid.
Hines said that the causes of her anxiety include, but are not limited to: her living alone in her apartment and her 12-hour work days. “It’s just kind of hard living alone,” Hines said. “It’s definitely hard to find time to do all that (video games, cooking, hanging out with friends). And get eight hours of sleep.”
Hines said that the causes of her anxiety include, but are not limited to: her living alone in her apartment and her 12-hour work days. “It’s just kind of hard living alone,” Hines said. “It’s definitely hard to find time to do all that (video games, cooking, hanging out with friends). And get eight hours of sleep.”
36%
of college students are diagnosed with anxiety.
Data from www.bestcolleges.com
Hines plays video games on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at her apartment in Bowling Green. Hines said that living alone in her apartment is a cause of her anxiety. “It’s just kind of hard living alone,” Hines said. “It’s definitely hard to find time to do all that (video games, cooking, hanging out with friends). And get eight hours of sleep.”
Hines said one of the ways she copes with her anxiety is through music. For Hines, that involves playing the flute. “I’ve been playing the flute since I first started experiencing anxiety,” Hines said. “It’s like holding my hand almost in a way.” Hines is also majoring in instrumental music education, with her wanting to be a music teacher as her future career.
On Sunday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Hines performed her senior flute recital in front of friends and family at the recital hall in the Fine Arts Center. Hines said that another time she experiences anxiety is when performing. “I have so much anxiety like getting on a stage,” Hines said. “But I have my flute, and I’ll always have my flute. And that makes it okay.”
On Sunday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Hines performed her senior flute recital in front of friends and family at the recital hall in the Fine Arts Center. Hines said that another time she experiences anxiety is when performing. “I have so much anxiety like getting on a stage,” Hines said. “But I have my flute, and I’ll always have my flute. And that makes it okay.”
Hines, right, performs her senior flute recital on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the recital hall in the Fine Arts Center in Bowling Green. Hines said that another time she experiences anxiety is when performing. “I have so much anxiety like getting on a stage,” Hines said. “But I have my flute, and I’ll always have my flute. And that makes it okay.”
Hines, left, grabs flowers from her boyfriend, Robert Hayden, after her senior flute recital on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the recital hall in the Fine Arts Center in Bowling Green. Hines and Hayden have been dating since junior year of high school. “Me and my boyfriend are in a long distance relationship,” Hines said. “Wherever we’re at, like his apartment or my apartment, it really starts to feel like home.”
In Hines’ free time, she said she also enjoys putting on her mermaid tail, and swimming through the water. For Hines, she does this activity separate from her playing the flute, but is another of her coping mechanisms. “I’ve been mermaiding since 2022, I think,” Hines said. “Physical health is good for your mental health.”
Hines poses for a portrait with her flute while dressed as a mermaid on Sunday, Oct. 27, at Drakes Creek in Bowling Green. Hines said that mermaiding is a coping mechanism for her mental health. “I’ve been mermaiding since 2022, I think,” Hines said. “Physical health is good for your mental health.”
“It just gives me a sense of confidence that I think anxiety can chip away at,” Hines said, “But you can look at things you’ve done, and be like, ‘Oh, but I could do that, so I can do this.’”