College and Mental Health

The first semester of college can be mentally draining to some. It’s the first time your parents aren’t there to guide you through anything. There’s no instructions on how to live on your own and yet you’re expected to figure it all out.

For the first few weeks of college, I sometimes felt like I couldn’t move. I was so overwhelmed by everything that it triggered my depression. If this is similar to your experience, don’t be ashamed. Adjusting to college life is not easy. You’re not crazy or anything if you think you might be relapsing. You’re not alone.

What’s not okay is continuing to feel uncomfortable with your mental illness. No one deserves that! I wish there was a way to simply banish it by waving some sort of magic wand. Sadly, mental illness doesn’t work that way. I don’t know if any of these things would work for you, but they helped a little bit for me.

Go to the counseling center

This may seem like a no brainer. But it works. You can easily have weekly appointments with a counselor there. He or she could talk you through your problems and help you brainstorm some solutions. During some of my worst times here, I went to the counseling center and I actually felt a change in mood afterwards.

Avoid isolation

Being alone may be the only thing you want to do at this time in your life. But as much as you want to, try not to. It can make you feel more alone and more helpless. Just going to a coffee shop with a bunch of people around can even help. If you haven’t made friends yet, that’s okay. Explore places where people are around, such as the mall or the campus. When I wanted to be alone, I fought this feeling off by going to the mall and making a Build a Bear. It sounds goofy, but it helped.

Find one thing you love to do

Sometimes, one little thing can pull you out of the darkness. It could be painting, playing a sport, baking cookies, you name it. Anything to get your mind off of what you may be feeling. Even if it’s just for a short time, you don’t focus on your mental state, and that can make a huge difference. For me, I started taking pictures of nature on my iPhone. I love photography. It distracted me from my depression and really helped me during some hard times.

Talk to your psychiatrist

I see this as a last resort, if a few weeks or months have gone by and things still are not getting better. Call up your psychiatrist! See if you may need to up your dosage or get a prescription. Sometimes, it’s a chemical imbalance that needs to be fixed in order to stop feeling a certain way. If you don’t currently have a psychiatrist, try going to the health clinic and asking about psychiatrists on or near campus. Try not be be hard on yourself if you have to take a medication. It’s common not just among college students, but people in general.

I hope some of these suggestions helped for anyone who might be struggling. Remember, life is tough but you’re tougher!

Jackie ❤