At 19 years old, I have a pretty good idea of what it means to be both independent and dependent.
Independent was the first time I drove myself to school my senior year.
Dependent was having my mom bring me money for lunch because I left my wallet at home.
But there’s more independence that I have gained over the last few weeks due to circumstances pushing me out of my comfort zone.
Since moving to Baton Rouge, I have become less of a fan of driving than I was in my small hometown, so I made a huge decision. 
Between the overwhelming traffic, car repairs, traffic tickets and the increased probability that I would be faced with some sort of fine — whether my fault or due to an accident — it was a constant worry of mine that I could not handle the financial responsibility of having a car in college.
Then my car battery died, and I was faced with inevitable future repairs as my car reached its 10th birthday. So even as several of my friends and my mother argued that life without a car would be difficult, I made the decision to go carless immediately.
I quickly reorganized my life to be pedestrian-friendly. I got a job on the LSU bus route, transferred my medical files to the Student Health Center, bought a decent pair of shoes and purchased a bike.
The first few times that I rode the bus to work instead of driving, I felt liberated. I wasn’t stressing about being late due to traffic, or nervous about the police radar that always pops up on Stanford Avenue. Instead, I sat back and pleasantly made my way to work.
There is something mentally freeing about being carless. 
As someone with moderate anxiety, the simple task of using a bus route was enough to make me realize that the independence I gained from leaving my mother’s house was enabling me to live in a strict comfort zone.
I’m not fond of being around large numbers of people in the unorganized, day-to-day society that is college life. I lived off campus so I would have a comfortable privacy. I did my laundry at night, when I was less likely to see anyone else at the laundromat. 
The same went for grocery shopping. I would go late at night, once a month, when I wouldn’t have to interact with anyone. 
With a car, I had the freedom to be bound by my comfort zone and shy away from the anxious feeling that I get when I’m faced with new situations.
Now that I have to take the bus, I have traded those anxieties for new anxieties which I triumph over. The first time I used the pedestrian crossing at Perkins Road and Acadian Thruway to get to work, I was a nervous wreck. 
Two weeks later, crossing five lanes of traffic is so easy I could do it with my eyes closed. 
In a blog post titled “20 Life Lessons I Learned Overcoming Depression and Anxiety,” Dorian Innes reflects on the achievement of going carless in the car dependent city of Los Angeles. 
Innes also emphasizes the importance of highlighting triumphs over anxiety and depression, no matter how ridiculous they may seem. 
Going carless in Baton Rouge, a city with mediocre pedestrian paths and public transportation, was a huge triumph for me over the last four weeks. 
Even in the face of my new dependence on bike-permitting weather and public transportation, I have found a new independence and have stepped out of my comfort zone, which is exactly what I left home for college to do. 
Jana King is a 19-year-old women’s and gender studies sophomore from                   Ponchatoula, La.