As we developed the concept of nourish and flourish, we tried to analyze similarities amongst ourselves and what could potentially be of interest for us to bring awareness to. We are four seniors in college, pursuing a degree for at least 4 years now. In those 4 years, we’ve gone through the most challenging years of our life as we had to create ourselves and define our life long passion. We reminisced on hardships and challenges we had to face along the way and discovered a common struggle we’ve had in our years in college and that is Mental Health.
As freshman entering college, we are thrown into a place where we are expected to know what we want to be for the rest of our lives. We are also expected to learn to balance a rigorous workload of assignments, school clubs, social life, work, and our mental well being. As a college student, the expectation to be able to balance a variety of things is over the top and very overwhelming for most people as they have not been taught or experienced enough to successfully balance this on their own.
According to an article at Mayo Clinic, it was found that since the start of Covid-19, 1-3 college students are facing depression and anxiety. It was also found that 75% of those students are likely to not seek and reach out for help. Personally, I've developed a huge
increase in anxiety especially in the beginning of each school year. The stress of constant deadlines and constant worry about being successful is dreading the college population.
Through recent years however, our society has grown in the aspect of bringing awareness to mental health struggles and the importance of seeking help through therapy. Universities now have resources available to their students such as free therapy sessions on campus. Through societal evolution, the stigma around mental health has decreased significantly but there is still a huge percentage of individuals who do not seek help or are too embarrassed to ask for it.
We want to help raise awareness and help others know they are not alone. When in a dark head space, it’s likely that an individual will start becoming distant with loved ones and feel as though they are alone in their thoughts. It is important to us to be part of those who are constantly helping these individuals feel less alone. We want to make everyone feel powerful, loved and enough.
Through our years in college we’ve learned some things that have helped us relieve some stress and anxiety. Here’s our top 3 tips that have helped us through college:
Exercise
Exercise has been a tremendous help in my college journey. It’s been my go to stress reliever since sophomore year. I began by running and slowly moved towards weight lifting and doing yoga on my days off. It is no secret that exercise is a gift when trying to better your mental health as it releases endorphins and boosts your serotonin. I believe every college student should practice a sport or daily activities in their routine.
2. Planning/ Organization
Prioritizing organizing my school schedule as well as my work was a life-saver to help ease my stress levels. I recommend for everyone to have a planner and plan their week every sunday.
3. Eating healthy
In college, one of the most common mistakes that people make is neglecting their health by eating out and drinking alcohol. Finding a balance of incorporation of vegetables and fruits and homemade meals as well as treating yourself to eating out once in a while is key to feeling good on the inside and out. There is a happy median where you can still have fun and eat balanced meals!
Reese Druckenmiller, L.I.C.S.W. “College Students and Depression.” Mayo Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System, 5 Aug. 2022, https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/college-students-and-depression.