If anyone’s ever told you that college should be the best time of your life, then they don’t realize how much stress goes along with earning a degree these days. You’re on your own and in charge of your own schedule. You’ve got the pressure to do well so you can land a great job when you leave school. You’re trying to get enough sleep and make friends. It’s a lot, and it can make the “fun” parts of going to college pretty nonexistent.
It’s normal to struggle with your mental health in college. That doesn’t mean you need to just “deal with it,” though. It’s important to take care of yourself and do whatever you can to maintain a healthy mental state while attending school. Here are some tips and resources to help.
Mental Health Among College Students
Mental health disorders are extremely common in college students. In fact, around 60% of students surveyed in 2018-2019 by the American College Health Association (ACHA) reported experiencing “overwhelming anxiety.” Others experienced severe depression and other mental health concerns, even before the pandemic.
Mental health concerns among college students as a whole have reached a crisis point. Students facing racial discrimination or those within the LGBTQIA+ community often have even greater mental health challenges to deal with.
It’s all well and good to know that you’re not the only one dealing with problems like anxiety and depression. But when you’re trying to keep it together, you need strategies to regulate your mental health, not solidarity. Mental health problems can escalate quickly and may become life-threatening.
Take Your Mental Health Seriously and Talk About It!
The first thing all male college students should understand about mental health is that it should be taken seriously. You’re not “weak” if you’re suffering from overwhelm, anxiety, or other mental health issues. You don’t have to power through it without help.
When you take your mental health seriously, it gets easier to talk about it. You might have been taught to suppress your feelings or never to talk about them, but that’s not going to help you and will lead to huge problems as you navigate life. Bottling everything up makes dealing with your mental health infinitely more difficult.
Talking about what you’re dealing with is an important part of managing your mental health. It’s important to speak with a professional when you’re having trouble dealing with all that life is throwing at you, but just talking to friends and family can also be helpful. It probably won’t be easy to talk about at first, but you’ll probably be surprised by how much it can help.
Understand Your Symptoms
You need to know what is and isn’t normal when it comes to mental health so you can get help when needed. Stress is normal for college students, but when it’s chronic and unrelenting, it’s a problem.
Think about what you’ve experienced at school in the last few months. Anxiety? Signs of depression, like losing interest in your favorite activities or having trouble getting out of bed? Overwhelm? Panic attacks?
Some symptoms might seem normal to you but are actually signs of mental health concerns that should be addressed. Doing your research and being honest with yourself are key for seeking appropriate solutions for your situation.
Address Your Lifestyle
For many male college students, mental health deteriorates due to the difficulty of balancing a full college workload with other personal responsibilities. If you’re too wrapped up in your coursework to get enough sleep, exercise, or eat regularly, you’re going to find yourself feeling anxious eventually.
It’s easy to get burned out. It’s hard to make sure you take care of yourself. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a step back and prioritize. What needs to be done right away and what can wait?
Once you’ve made a list of academic priorities, add some activities that will help you feel more centered. Prioritize sleep, healthy eating, and exercise. Rest is important for productivity and the quality of the work you do, so don’t think of it as taking time away from studying.
You might also try incorporating some mindfulness into your day. Deep breathing exercises can be done anywhere and can help you calm down when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Yoga and meditation can also be great tools for ongoing mental health maintenance.
Seek Help From a Counselor
DIY management strategies are important, but you should also speak with a professional to learn more about what you’re dealing with and what you can do to feel better. A counselor can help provide a diagnosis and direct you toward the best strategies and resources.
Your school should have counselors available to you. Demand for counselors has grown on college campuses in the last few years, so you might have to wait a bit before you can talk to someone. Private insurance may also cover mental health services. If you find yourself in crisis while you wait to speak with a professional, don’t hesitate to call a crisis helpline or 911.
Have Crisis Help Lines On Hand
You might think that you’d never try to hurt yourself or someone else. But when people are under extreme stress or experience mental health crises, they don’t act as they normally would. It might seem silly to look up crisis helpline numbers when you’re not in a crisis, but now is actually the best time to write them down on a post-it you can keep with you.
- The NAMI HelpLine (M-F, 10 AM-10 PM Eastern Time): 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
- SAMHSA’s National Helpline (24/7): 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24/7): 1-800-273-8255
A crisis helpline could save your life. The people who answer the phones are typically trained in de-escalation techniques and can help you stabilize your thoughts so you can get the help you need before you do something drastic.
Don’t wait to see if things get better. Your mental health matters. You don’t have to suffer in silence until you reach your breaking point! Reach out when you need help, and don’t be afraid to talk about what you’re going through.
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This content is brought to you by Andrew Deen.
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