As the weather grows colder and the sky grows darker, depression in our peers in on the rise. For someone who deals with depression it’s easy to let our grades slip, relationships fall, and spend all the time in bed. And as a community, we need to recognize the dangers of depression in college students and actually use the resources to combat it. Last fall, I started noticing some familiar signs creeping back in: sleeping in late, skipping meals and classes. Before I knew it, I was already deep in the same cycle, the very one I thought I had already overcome. Here are some of my favorite tips and resources I’ve found to help stop the spiral.
It starts with waking up tired, exhausted, even after sleeping in late. Because I’m sleeping in late, it means, I’m staying up late scrolling on my phone for hours. There were mornings where I slept through my 9AM class and I was woken up to notifications of an unexcused absence. I was filled with guilt and panic. I thought to myself, “Why do I do this?”
Something I’ve found to mitigate this is every night I’ll do some deep breathing for five minutes at the very end of my nighttime routine. For me, it makes me feel relaxed and lets my body know it’s time to slow down. This is a common routine with meditation practices. You’ll find the common theme with the tips I’ve found to work is that it’s daily/nightly. It’s the routine that is key.
On days where getting out of bed seems impossible, the idea of any sort of “exercise” is laughable. I used to think exercise didn’t count unless it was intense, but even ten minutes matters. I tend to take ten minutes out of my day to lightly stretch my body. Working through my neck, shoulders, torso, and hips allows me to feel replenished and ready to continue my day.
Serotonin is the hormone that helps stabilize our mood and reduces stress. It’s important for these levels to be up so we can be happy overall. Studies have shown, that even the lightest of stretching can bring serotonin and endorphin levels up. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which are neurotransmitters associated with a positive mood and feelings of well-being. Exercise improves sleep, reduces stress and anxiety, and enhances self-esteem and social support.”
My final tip is to journal. Before, when my thoughts would spiral and everything would play on a loop, I had nowhere to put them, so they sat with me until those thoughts transformed into something worse. To write down your most prominent thoughts from the day into a journal is a way to express yourself. It doesn’t have to be goal-oriented or gratitude writing, just writing your thoughts helps reduce rumination which is when the brain spins out of control on negative thoughts. It helps identify triggers in your daily life. Expressing your thoughts on paper it helps bring clarity to yourself and manage your anxiety/depression. I try to journal every morning to identify my short term goals for the day and overall long-term goals. Journaling has also become a part of my nightly routine as a time to reflect on the day.
For a long time, when these tools didn’t work by themselves, I realized it might be a sign to seek a higher level of care to work in tandem with these routines. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness, however a sign of bravery. It takes a strong soul to ask someone for help.
I’ve found CU Boulder’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) to be incredibly helpful, especially with individual support. I attended a screening appointment with them, where I was referred to more ongoing help. They’ll help work through single concerns or address struggles through multiple sessions.
CAPS also offers a number of different group therapies. Kinds of evidence-based therapies shown to be effective for depression are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). These kinds of therapies are offered in groups at CAPS. Group therapy can be particularly helpful with people dealing with depression because it fosters a sense of belonging, something often lost during a depressive episode, especially for me.
Try one of their workshops if you don’t want to commit to a group, but still want to reduce symptoms.They offer a variety of workshops from ear acupuncture to guided meditation. Ear acupuncture is helpful as it balances the nervous system. And guided meditation is something I’ve found to be particularly helpful with my depression as it allows the brain to break cycles of negative thinking.
To my reader, if you have found this to be relatable or helpful, I’m sorry. Depression at this age is not something anyone should have to deal with. Depression for a college student can lead to academic decline, social isolation, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. While the rate for suicidal ideation in college students is on the decline, the rate from the 2025 Healthy Minds Study is 11%. We as a community need to support our peers as much as possible to keep the rate down and our campus bright.