Tips To Tackle Depression In College
College can be both an amazing time in your life in addition to being one of the most stressful. Being a young adult on your own for the first time with financial stress, big decisions to make, and a whole new group of people can be hard. The National Alliance on Mental Illnesses reports that 63% of college students experience overwhelming anxiety during college enrollment and during their higher education careers.
College campuses are diverse settings so some students find a support system, and some feel homesick and lonely and miss their old lives since it was familiar. In addition, the workload and extracurricular activities may be more intense. With all of that can come mental health challenges like stress, anxiety, depression, and more. It is important to not let these challenges overwhelm you and to find healthy coping mechanisms. Young people in college experiencing mental health challenges in school can lead to a dip in academic performance, substance abuse, and other negative habits. The best way to deal with these emotions is to take time for yourself and use daily mindful practices to improve your mental health.
How To Cope With Stress, Anxiety, And Depression
When you are feeling these emotions, it is essential to have a toolbox of mechanisms that help you decompress. Having these in mind ahead of time can help you avoid a serious mental health crisis. Try some of the following activities to reduce stress in your life:
- Remember you are NOT alone.
- Visit the campus counseling center
- Take a relaxing bubble bath
- Work on improving your sleep habits
- Hit the gym to blow off some steam
- Drink lots of water to stay hydrated
- Eat healthy and nutritious foods (Study indicates that ultra-processed foods are linked to depression (news-medical.net)
Overall, these are some great habits to build into your daily schedule that can improve your mental health and general wellness. Especially prioritize getting good sleep, eating right, and drinking lots of water if you feel like you have to pick and choose a few ideas from this list to begin with.
Get Help From Professionals
According to Mayo Clinic, as many as 75% of college students experiencing depression do not get the help that they need. For individuals experiencing persistent mental health issues, we have resources for you. Here at A Better Way Psychiatry and TMS Clinic, we deal with patients who experience depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. Our philosophy is to offer each patient a custom plan of care that suits their needs, so each patient gets their own unique course of treatment.
We offer free consultation appointments to all of our new patients. When you come in to see us for the first time, you have the opportunity to ask any questions about our treatment options. We use a combination of TMS therapy, medication review/management, and talk therapy to help our patients on their road to recovery.