In which I discuss a major aspect of social wellness and mental health on college campuses.
Note: This article originally appeared in the Mass Media at UMass Boston.
Stress is a natural aspect of college. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but there are many ways to balance your stress to make sure you take care of everything on your plate.
However, our mental health is one aspect of our lives that often gets ignored when we get stressed. And to me, there is no excuse for not taking care of your mental health—no matter how busy you get, this should be a major priority for you.
Making your mental health a priority is important because if you let it slip for even a few weeks, you may find yourself in an irreversible struggle to reclaim control.
While discussing mental health is pretty taboo in some cultures—and still pretty stigmatized here in America—I argue that we must be willing to discuss what is going on with our brains in order to find some form of relief from the grief our brains can cause us.
Stress tends to complicate our mental health when we aren’t taking the best care of ourselves. So getting busy means we often leave the things that are important to us behind for the sake of simply trying to complete an assignment, a paper, or to study for an exam.
It’s okay to ask for help if you are struggling with depression, anxiety, and/or stress. And I’m going to explain some simple ways to create a mental health support network.
The easiest way to ask for help is to reach out to your friends—those closest to you. Your friend group is the best way to create your own support network. Be willing to say, “Hey, I just need to talk with someone right now. I’m not feeling great about myself right now.” If your friend is a good friend, they will listen.
Now, if you’re a friend who is being confided in, please listen.
Listen to the needs of your friends. Do not write off their struggles or desire for support as an annoyance or prying into your life. Do not make your friend seem like an inconvenience. Sure, mental health issues do tend to arise at inconvenient times, but that’s no reason to treat your friends—those who trust you—as if they are an inconvenience to you.
If you know any of the coping strategies of your friend in need, suggest those things! Offer to make your friend some tea, or dinner, or simply watch some Netflix. Try anything that will help a friend relax during periods when their depression or stress might be acting up.
If many of your friends are in another state or country, utilize social media! Skype with friends and family and maintain those relationships that bring you joy. These little moments of connection can mean the world to folks who live a stressful life. I know it helps me to Skype with my best friends back in Oregon, or those who have moved all over the country. It’s always nice to escape my reality for a moment and relax with a familiar face or voice.
If you are a writer, use a blog, Twitter, or Facebook, and share your struggles. This is something I do regularly just so that I can lend a face to what it looks like when people live with depression and anxiety. I’m a pretty enthusiastic and fun-loving dude, but sometimes my brain likes to trick me into thinking otherwise.
So I share these moments.
I do this so that others know they aren’t alone if they struggle with these issues as well. And it opens the door for folks to reach out to me if they need someone to talk with about what’s going on in their lives.
Being willing to open up about what’s going on in your life can help you tremendously and it can help those in your life to know that none of us are alone in this struggle with mental health.
Reach out to your friends when you need a break from studying or writing a paper. Do something creative together, go to a concert, or find an exercise buddy! Or just talk it out.
Don’t have any available friends? Well, this is where I come in! I’m available to chat with you anytime you need some support or a bit of affirmation amid your chaotic days. My office is in the third floor of the Campus Center, suite 3407.
Feel free to drop in any time if you just want to talk.
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