Today: Mar 28, 2024

Mental health and the college student

Vivian Englund – Opinions Editor

College is ironically one of the most stressful times in someone’s life. It is a time where there seems to be pressure from all ends of the scale.

Pressure to do well academically, have a social life, be involved in clubs and organizations, make time with family, maybe have a job and somehow fit in some sleep.

The amount of stress that college students feel is enough to put a test on anyone’s mental health. Without being mentally healthy, school can be much more difficult.

It is important to monitor stress and seek help when an issue arises, but there are small steps one can take to improve their stress management.

One simple way to do so is to make sure that you are not taking all intensive or rigorous courses at the same time.

Unless you absolutely have to, taking no more than two or three intensive or difficult classes could reduce your stress levels. This makes it so much easier to manage all projects and essays, leaving you with more time to decompress.

Planning everything week-by-week tremendously aids in feeling less overwhelmed. As for bigger projects, planning out time to work on them in advance will not only benefit stress levels, but have a better end result instead of doing everything last minute.

Staying positive and surrounding yourself with other positive people is an instant mood lifter. When one dwells on the negative, it is easy to get caught up and become stressed or depressed because of it.

If things start becoming difficult to handle or one notices a shift for the worse in their mental health, it is important to get help.

Southern offers counseling services right on campus. Located in Engleman, the office is open to any and all students.

An organization on campus, Active Minds, aims to open the conversation about mental health stigmas. They put on events to raise awareness for mental health in college students.

One of their events is called the “Chair Project.” The organization sets up thousands of chairs on the academic quad to signify the thousands of college students who commit suicide each year.

Photo Credit: Tyler Korponai – Photo Editor 

1 Comment

  1. LOVE your blog! Thank you for your voice:) I’ve been an illustrator, and art therapist for ten years and I’ve seen coloring help traumatized patients, and even the elderly needing to work on their coordination skills. I’m reaching out to other mindful individuals to help with the donation of a Therapeutic Adult Coloring Book, for trauma survivors suffering from PTSD and Adult ADHD Patients and I’d be honored if you’d post the link:) If I meet the goal, I’ll be donating copies to a local PTSD mental health organization. I’m also offering several coloring templates, and color art prints of my original paintings, as well as full copies of the coloring book as rewards for my donors. Thank you so much for considering it and keep up the inspiration! I’ll happily follow your journey:) http://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/e0719bc0

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