Over the past few decades, college campuses worldwide have witnessed a concerning trend: a significant increase in mental health issues among students. The transition to college life, coupled with academic pressures, social challenges, and personal responsibilities, has taken a toll on the mental well-being of young adults.
Understanding the factors contributing to this rise and implementing effective support systems is crucial to keeping yourself mentally healthy.
Factors Affecting Your Mental Health
- Academic Pressures: College life brings with it heightened academic demands, rigorous coursework, and intense competition. The fear of failure, coupled with the pressure to excel, can lead to stress, anxiety, and even depression among students. (See: How To Adjust To College Academics After High School)
- Social Isolation: For many students, college marks a major life transition where they leave their familiar support systems for the first time. Loneliness and social isolation can negatively impact mental health, especially for those who struggle to adjust to a different social environment.
- Financial Stress: A lot of college students work part time to pay for college, and the rising costs of college education have contributed to financial strain on students and their families.
- High Expectations: College students often face high societal and familial expectations to perform well academically and secure a successful future. The fear of not meeting these expectations can lead to feelings of inadequacy and stress.
- Sleep Deprivation: Irregular schedules, late-night studying, and social activities can lead to sleep deprivation. Lack of adequate sleep has a direct impact on your health, impairing cognitive function and emotional regulation.
- Substance Abuse: Some students turn to substance use (marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine especially ) as a coping mechanism for stress. Substance abuse can exacerbate mental health issues and lead to a vicious cycle of dependency.
- Physical Health: With all of the competing pressures, it’s easy to eat poorly and avoid exercise in college. This can be detrimental to physical and mental health.
- Digital Overload: Constant exposure to social media and digital communication can contribute to anxiety issues and poor sleep.
- Uncertain Future: College is a time of transition, and uncertainty about career paths and the future can contribute to poorly regulated anxiety.
- Inadequate Support Systems: Some colleges lack sufficient counseling services to address the growing mental health needs of their student population.
Tips To Supercharge Your Mental Strength
Health is largely a matter of maintenance and prevention. Use these tops to keep your mind (and body) healthy, and to recover when your mental health takes a hit:
- Go To The Gym: There is a clear link between physical activity and mental wellness. If you haven’t hit the gym in a while, start with something easy like taking a daily walk. Just get moving!
- Rest and Recharge: You need sleep, and probably more than you’re getting. If you’re regularly getting less than 7 hours of quality sleep, make changes to your environment or schedule to allow for more time for your batteries to recharge.
- Stop Eating Like Sh*t: As the famed fitness guru Jack LaLanne used to say “You put junk in, junk comes out. You put good in, good comes out“. What you eat not only affects your waistline, but also affects your brain. Dial back on the fast food, sugary drinks, and snack food, and you may find that a lot of your issues lessen dramatically.
- Stay Hydrated: You need to be drinking water and getting enough electrolytes. There are electrolytes mixes like ReLyte that make a great addition to your daily routine. This is especially important if vigorous exercise is part of your routine.
- Learn To Manage Your Stress In A Healthy Way: Exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, and quiet refelction are all great ways to deal with stress in a healthy way.
- Spend Time With Friends: Sometimes you just need to get out of your head and out of the house. Go hang out with your friends and decompress. Even for introverts, this can be a great for your mood.
- Reframe The Issue: When your mental health isn’t the best, it’s easy to feel guilty about it, as though there’s something wrong with you. Remind yourself about two things: 1. Anxiety and depression are normal parts of the human experience, and 2. When you’re sick, you take medicine, rest, and heal. Your brain is a part of your body too, and it deserves the same time to recover when needed.
Do The Work
Maintaining a strong mind is crucial in life, but much like lifting weights, sometimes you have to start light and work your way up. Be courageous, and to do the work!
Back to Home | Related: How To Be A Time Management Master
