Feeling anxious, sad or overwhelmed? These are common feelings that students around the world are experiencing. In a survey of over 700 college students in the U.S., 80% feel overwhelmed by school.
Mental health plays a major role in a student’s life. The most common mental health issues are depression, anxiety, eating disorders and addiction. Over 80% of students say they feel stress on a daily basis, and this deteriorates their mental state.
Exactly half of the people in the survey stated that their mental health is well below average. “Average” mental health is difficult to define as this term can vary across different cultures and based on the person. But the Mayo Clinic believes having a healthy mindset can be monitored by maintaining personal or family relationships, functioning in social settings, performing at work or school and learning at a level expected for your age group and ability.
Negative mental health can interfere with schoolwork, which will set a student back and make them even more stressed. Around 50% of students can agree with this.
Not only is mental health negatively impacting students, but it is also disproportionately affecting marginalized groups. These groups may experience societal abuses, health care barriers and discrimination which piles on top of existing mental health issues.
Often, mental health goes overlooked. These feelings are common for a student to experience, so society downplays the severity of the situation.
For this reason, many students feel unsafe and scared about the idea of seeking help. This is completely normal as it is difficult to reach out to an external service about your mental health. Only 40% of students who are struggling truly ask for help. Therapy encourages thoughtful discussion and reflection, which can be beneficial.
Colleges are trying to provide adequate mental health services, but this is hard to achieve. DU has taken initiative by encouraging students to attend virtual mindfulness and meditation sessions with Kara Traikoff, a mindfulness instructor at DU. There are multiple throughout the week, and they can be the perfect de-stressor as midterms approach.
DU has resources on mental health from the Health and Counseling Center. The HCC acknowledges that COVID-19 has dramatically impacted every student’s life, so more may be seeking help or feeling lost. Due to the pandemic, the HCC offers telehealth mental health counseling appointments. There are many support systems that students can take advantage of, such as family, peers, online resources or the HCC. It is completely understandable to feel overwhelmed during the chaos of the quarter system.
