3 Ways To Look After Your Mental Health During College

Have You Taken The Time to Identify Your Priorities?

“Gosh, college is so stressful and impacts my mental health.” If you are in college or even know a college student, chances are you have probably heard this phrase. You might have even said it yourself. With such busy schedules and a newly gained independence, it is no surprise that students feel like their mental health worsens during college. In fact, 37% of college students are diagnosed with depression. Being a college student can be overwhelming. Trust me, I get it. That is why I am so excited to offer different suggestions on ways you can cope. It is important to prioritize your mental AND physical health. Self-care can prevent burnout and taking care of your body can reduce your risk of developing health problems.

3 Things to Try

#1 - Consider Therapy

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy or talk therapy might be one of the first things that comes to mind when improving your mental health with good reason. It provides amazing results. It could help eliminate or control symptoms of mental disorders/illnesses and allow people to increase their wellbeing with the help of a therapist. Psychotherapy helps with a range of problems including depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, managing long-term illnesses, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress, and schizophrenia. Here are some different types of psychotherapies.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT): REBT encourages individuals to challenge the rationality of their negative thoughts or feelings and replace them with more productive beliefs. REBT mostly focuses on the present moment to help people understand how their mental health impacts their lives through unhealthy behaviors and actions, but motivates them to maintain more positive thoughts and behaviors.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): CBT challenges and changes cognitive behaviors to improve one’s mental health. It allows clients to change the way they react to their thoughts and feelings.

Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT incorporates some of the techniques of CBT but includes different forms of meditation techniques. For example, DBT not only helps manage painful emotions, but also helps improve your relationships. DBT focuses on four key areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Art Therapy: Art therapy incorporates the use of art such as drawing, painting, coloring, or sculpting to help people express themselves artistically and examines the psychological and emotional undertones in their art. With the help of a credentialed art therapist, people can better understand their feelings and behaviors. Art therapy helps people explore their emotions, improve self-esteem, manage addictions, relieve stress, improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, and cope with a physical illness or disability.

Music Therapy: Music therapy includes techniques of listening, creating, and reflecting on music to improve a person's well-being. Music can make it easier for people to express their feelings, process uncomfortable experiences, and improve communication skills with the help of a board-certified music therapist. Music therapy can help people with depression, anxiety, and trauma.

#2 - Try Yoga or Meditation

Yoga: Yoga is the act of combining stretching and other exercise methods with deep breathing and meditation. Research suggests that yoga is not only great for your physical health, but also helps strengthen relationships, reduce anxiety and insomnia, and decrease symptoms of depression. You can find yoga classes at your local yoga studio, gym, or college fitness center. Yoga can also be done at home with free classes on YouTube.

Meditation: Meditation is a mental exercise that involves emptying your mind and listening to your body and emotions. Meditating helps clear the mind’s chatter to curb reactivity to one's negative thoughts and feelings. Meditation helps decrease anxiety and depression, reduce stress, and increase focus and calmness. Different techniques of meditation can include breathwork (focusing on breathing through different types of exercises) and body scanning (scanning throughout your body from head to toe while relaxing and bringing awareness to what you are feeling throughout your body). Meditation is like a muscle that you develop so do not worry if your mind begins to wonder when you are beginning. It is best to start out with meditating at least three to five minutes a day and increase to ten minutes a day after a period of time. If it is too difficult for you, perhaps try active meditation, such as focusing your mind on doing a chore or walking around your neighborhood.

#3 - Start Journaling

Journaling: Journaling is the act of writing down your thoughts, feelings, and anything else that enters your mind. It is a simple and low-cost way to improve your well-being, increase self-reflection, and reduce stress. Here are some different types of journaling.
Visual Journaling: Visual journaling involves journaling with the use of visual designs like drawing and collaging to express your emotions.
Gratitude Journaling: Gratitude journaling consists of writing down what makes you thankful or happy, such as writing down five things that you are thankful for every morning.
Stream of Consciousness Journaling: Stream of consciousness journaling involves writing down whatever comes to your head or what you are feeling in the moment and continuing to write for as long as you want.
Intuition Journaling: Intuition journaling consists of writing a question and answering it with your intuition (e.g. “Is it healthy for me to keep this friend/job/belief?”).

Conclusion

You are more than welcome to use any of these strategies to increase your mental well-being. I understand that combining these coping mechanisms with the stress and lack of time as a college student can be a lot, however, caring for your mental health can be rewarding. It may take time, but it will definitely be worth it to spend time investing in your mental health. Remember, you get to choose how YOU do it. Enjoy it and take it one day at a time! Share this article with someone who needs a reminder about the positive coping strategies that are out there!

References

Elflein, J. (2020, October 13). Percentage of U.S. College Students with Depression in 2019 to 2020. Retrieved from Statistica: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1126279/percentage-of-college-students-with-depression-us/

Mental Health Foundation. (2021). Talking Therapies. Retrieved from Mental Health Foundation: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/t/talking-therapies

Novotney, A. (2009, November). Yoga as a Practice Tool. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/11/yoga

Psychology Today Staff. (2021). Art Therapy. Retrieved from Psychology Today Staff: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/art-therapy

Psychology Today Staff. (2021). Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Retrieved from

Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/dialectical-behavior-therapy

Psychology Today Staff. (2021). Meditation . Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/meditation

Psychology Today Staff. (2021). Music Therapy. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/music-therapy

Psychology Today Staff. (2021). Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy

Sarkis, S. A. (2020, January 23). Discover 8 Journaling Techniques for Better Mental Health. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/202001/discover-8-journaling-techniques-better-mental-health

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