TW: mentions of struggling with mental health
There is one thing in college that is hard to avoid: stress. Time is always flying in college with new assignments to complete, jobs to work at, bills to pay, clubs to run, and jobs/internships to apply for. It is all part of working toward your future, but it doesn’t come at an easy price. According to the American Addiction Centers Website, 88% of college students have reported their school life to be very stressful.
Stress is what we all want to avoid, and many students handle their stress by ignoring it, thinking it would go away. That doesn’t always happen. Sometimes we experience greater stress in not taking care of ourselves, which takes a negative toll on our mental health. Our mental health influences us in more ways than we think, which is why we need to acknowledge it. Here are reasons why it is important to pay attention to your mental health:
It affects how we are in School
Our motivation to work hard in school and get good grades is influenced by our mental health. If we don’t have a healthy mindset, it’s easy to not work as hard and fail classes. In paying attention to your mental health, you are able to make independent choices that could help you in doing well every semester such as making a schedule for yourself to get assignments done, limit the amount you get done everyday, taking breaks if you are tired, and asking for help in subjects you don’t understand. Many colleges not only have health and wellness centers but also academic services centers to help you if you feel that you need it. At the end of the day, your success is important, and the best way to achieve success is in a way that’s healthy and works best for you!
It affects our Well-being
Being stressed and overwhelmed can make us lose sight of our well-being mentally, physically, and emotionally. Many students have suffered greatly after the events of the Coronavirus Pandemic, and in the end it all takes a toll on our health. It affects the thoughts that we have, the emotions that we feel, the amount of food that we eat everyday, how frequently we get sick, and how long we live. Your well-being matters, and it is important to make choices where you take care of yourself and put yourself first, especially as you may face depression, anxiety, or struggle with suicidal thoughts. Whether it is doing exercise, meditation, going on a diet, quitting a job or club, or talking to a counselor about how you feel, it all makes a difference when we pay attention to how we are doing and it helps to bring us right back on track to reach the finish line!
It affects our Relationships with Other People
Our mental health influences how we talk to others and present ourselves. If we are stressed, overwhelmed, or depressed, it shows on our face, in our tone of voice, in the words that we say, and in the actions that we do that affect others. It can end up tearing relationships with family members, your partner, your best friend, or random people that you don’t know too well if you don’t pay attention to how you are feeling. For that reason, it is important to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Whether you need to take space from people that cause you stress or let go of people that are negative influences in your life, your happiness matters. The real ones will understand that and stay by your side through it all.
It affects the Events that Happen in Our Lives
What happens in our lives is based on our actions. If we struggle with our mental health, the stress that we feel appears endless. It can end up causing us to make choices in our lives that bring consequences such as using drugs, aggressively driving, or building addictions. In paying attention to your mental health, you can make choices that allow you to take care of yourself and receive more benefits in your life because you will be healthier. Having good mental health leads to a healthy body, good grades in school, strong relationships with other people, and greater success in working toward job opportunities. What we think affects what we do, which affects how things happen.
It affects How we can Help Others
The experiences that we have with our mental health can help others that experience the same struggles and feel that they are misunderstood. Empathy goes a long way, and it can make the biggest difference for someone who feels that they are alone or don’t have support. As people grow and achieve success in their mental health, they can help others by giving advice, providing comfort and love, showing interest in their well-being and encouraging those in need to do what’s best for them, recommending others to places that offer services for mental health, or by sharing their story. Any action has the opportunity to change a life, so let’s try to change lives for the better.
Having a successful and healthy life is what we all want, and it is not impossible to achieve. We are all capable of achieving greatness in the midst of any struggles that come our way in our mental health, but it comes with making the right choices to combat all those struggles…which all starts with paying attention to your mental health.