Managing Mental Health
Mental health is always a topic at hand when discussing college students. It tends to be at its lowest in first-year students. This can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as a new environment, homesickness, academics, friendships, and many other factors. It can be incredibly hard to move away from home and start a new life surrounded by all new people, all while trying to maintain a good academic standing.
Before looking at how students can manage their mental health, here are some facts present in the United States from the American Psychological Association:
- More than 60% of college students met the criteria for having a mental health problem
- Nearly 75% of students reported having severe to moderate psychological distress
So, how should students go about managing good mental health?
There are a couple of different approaches students can make, however everyone is different, meaning some methods will work great for some, while not being the best option for others. It is important to keep trying different things until something is found that works and feels the best.
Counseling/Therapy
The most talked about method for finding and maintaining good mental health would be going to see a counselor or therapist. Colleges often have free counseling or mental health resources available to students on campus. Reaching out to these resources can be incredibly beneficial for mental health, and being consistent in them can be even better. Sometimes, even just confiding in friends or family can be extremely beneficial.
Social Engagement
Stress Relief
Stress relief and management is also a great start to working on mental health. Stress plays a big role in the deterioration of many college students' mental health. By finding constructive methods for stress relief, one can begin to spend more time focusing on their mental health. Methods of stress relief can be found in an earlier blog post titled Methods for Managing Stress.
Healthy Eating Habits
Eating right may not seem like it has much to do with mental health, but what one puts in their body actually has a great deal of effects on the mind. Developing a healthy relationship with food and choosing what is right for one's body can positively impact mental health in many different ways. Healthy eating habit techniques can be found in an earlier blog post titled Developing Healthy Eating Habits.
Physical Exercise
Lastly, physical exercise is a wonderful way for one to not only take their mind off things but improve their physical and mental health through workouts. It has been proven that physical exercise has a direct link with mental health, and when done consistently, can actually improve it. Different forms of physical exercise can be found in an earlier blog post titles Fitting in Physical Fitness.
Managing mental health doesn't have to be a scary thing. It is something that most everyone has had to deal with in their life, and over half of college students across the United States are in the same boat. It is important to take mental health seriously and recognize if help is needed.
Help is available:
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - 988
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