Hello HCCers!
JanPlan is such a relaxed environment on campus, where everyone is only taking one (usually fun) class, and it is definitely hard to make the transition back into a full workload. Clubs re-start after JanPlan, more people come back to campus, and a lot of student employment begins again. As we get back into the swing of things, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Stress is a completely normal reaction to life, especially in college.
Transitioning to college is really hard. It’s the first time you’re on your own away from home. Dining hall food will never make up for your own kitchen. A shared room will never make up for your own space. It’s understandable that in 2011 an American College Health Association–National College Health Assessment found that 30% of 2- and 4- year college studentsreported feeling depressed. Colby is no exception to this; we are a small college that is far away from a lot of things, so it is easy to feel alienated from the rest of the world.
Luckily, Colby has some really great options for mental illness and mental health on campus.
Mindfulness Club: Just like your body needs to be taken care of through exercise, your mental health needs to work out too. Run by Brian Westerman, this is the club for all positive energies. Through meditations and yoga sessions as well as community dinners that discuss ways to be mindful in everyday life, this club does a phenomenal job of creating spaces to promote and exercise positive mental health. Are you stressed out about a paper or a midterm that’s coming up? Give your mind a chance to relax and reflect through one of the many opportunities that they provide. You’ll return to your work feeling refreshed and ready to get an A.
Active Minds: Active Minds is a fantastic club on campus that is actively working to de-stigmatize mental illness at Colby through incredible, thought-provoking programming. Associated with Student Health on Campus (SHOC), they hold extremely powerful events like Mental Health Narratives and Body Talks. Both of these allow students to either read their own stories or submit them to be read anonymously in front of a crowd to humanize mental illness. The club will also be hosting small monthly discussion groups this coming semester about a variety of topics like anxiety and depression. They are going to be assisting with Body Positivity week at the end of this month, so look out for them in Pulver the week of the 22nd.
Colby Counseling Center: The Colby Counseling Center is located in the Garrison-Foster Health Center and consists of five well-trained counselors. This is the place to go if you ever feel like you need more direction than you can receive from talking to friends or practicing mindfulness. The counselors are amazing, and there is always a counselor on call while school is in session (even at 4am). Also, Colby provides unlimited counseling services to the student community for free! To make an appointment, go to My Colby and click on the Counseling tab. You’re information is always confidential.
Best of luck to everyone as we begin the new Spring semester! Remember that stress is totally normal for college students and that you have access to some amazing resources here at Colby.