As college students, there are so many things that we have to figure out such as what we want our major to be, what we want to do career wise, and so much more. But the main question in the end is “who am I?”
In the first blog post, I focused on staying physically healthy in college. But, staying mentally healthy is extremely important, just as important than the physical aspect. Mental health crises’ are something college students go through, and the video below goes more into depth with that.
The lady in the video, Melissa Shuman Zarin, explains how on college campuses we encounter many different people who are going through a mental health crises, it’s just not as clear sometimes. She explains different actions we can take as bystanders to intervene when we notice certain behaviors and what behavior to actually look out for.
It’s Okay to Not be Okay
We have all been that person or have known someone who is struggling mentally, but just doesn’t have the strength to speak about what’s going on. Being clear, aware, and not taking things lightly is extremely important as we’re in college. This not only applies to ourselves, but to those around us.
Acknowledging that it’s okay to not be okay and that with every “problem” is an opportunity for growth is crucial. We can so easily beat ourselves up over little things such as not doing so well on an assignment or procrastinating, but the good part about that is we recognize that there is a problem. Sometimes, the problem is we’re just too hard on ourselves and we need to give ourselves a break.
“Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best you can”
We get so worried about the future plans after college that we end up missing being fully in the college moments. As college students, we have to realize that not every day is going to be phenomenal, that’s life in itself. It’s all about what we do and how we train our minds in those not-so-phenomenal days.
There’s some of us who really go through it, and being aware and keeping an eye out for those who are really mentally down could save a life. One thing about college is that we’re in our own little community, and that means we have to look out for those who are really at a low point.
3 D’s to Addressing Potential Crises
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to do in situations where someone is really struggling mentally. As mentioned in the video, there are three different approaches to bringing up the person’s mental state: being direct, distracting, or delegating.
Being direct is when we’re clear with each other and if we see a potential problem with someone mentally, we say “Hey, I’m worried about you, do you want to talk about anything?” Just having been asked could be a relief for that person who’s really going through.
Sometimes, we may not realize that we are mentally struggling until someone points it out to us. This is where distractions comes into play. Where we take a walk with someone and we maybe get told about something they’re going through and realize we’re going through the same thing.
Last but not least, is delegating. If we or someone we know may be feeling really out of it, just know it’s okay to talk to someone such as a trusted staff member or a Resident Assistant. We’re in college and we aren’t supposed to have it all together.
Why Does This Matter?
The bottom line is that while it is important to watch our physical health, it’s equally important to take care of ourselves mentally. Our mental health matters and so do we so we should aim to continue to take care of our bodies entirely from our heads to our toes. Remember, we have to monitor our mental health and also look out for those around us. We have to continue to be a healthy u n’ i.
Healthy Uni 