Positive Steps to Help You Beat the Blues
How to give your mental health a boost.
By Anna-Marie Jaeschke, graduate student, Temple University College of Health Professions
While excitement builds for a summer break, there are added stressors around this time as well. During that scary transition period at the end of each school year when students are bombarded with finals, the need for summer employment or an internship, potential graduation, and even moving, it can be quite easy to get the “blues.”
Relationships with friends, family, and significant others can be strained as well. “It’s interesting to see which stressors affect students,” says Tyesha McPherson, project coordinator for the Mood and Cognition Lab at Temple University in Philadelphia. “Academic-related issues contribute, but interpersonal issues play a larger role in influencing mood and anxiety. College-age subjects get most uncomfortable talking about boyfriend, roommate, or family issues.”
Maintaining Mental Health
It’s clear that the bad news is that both interpersonal and academic challenges will plague college students. Now for the good news: There are many things you can do to get out of the “funk” of feeling down! Even with a busy schedule, you need to get outdoors and get moving. If you’re a runner, run. If you’re a biker, bike. If you’re a social butterfly, join a recreational league or start a pick-up game at a nearby park. Studies show that physical activity—particularly outdoors—can have a strong positive impact on mood.
Another tip to maintain balance is to get away from anything that brings you down. Start the day positive with an affirmation or mantra, create more natural light in frequented spaces, and avoid that friend who always complains about something.
Spirituality can also be a powerful tool to lift your spirits. “During the end of the semester, I get really overwhelmed, and I just want to cry,” says A’Lena Scurry, a senior sport and recreation management major at Temple University. “Sometimes, I pray. It helps me calm down so I know what I have to do to get by.”
Feel More Positive by Getting Things Done
“When faced with pressure and anxiety, it can be very helpful to take immediate action, even if the action is small—like making a list of meaningful tasks,” says Dr. Marjory Levitt, an associate professor of counseling psychology at Temple University. “It’s helpful to engage in some vigorous aerobic exercise when pressure begins to feel overwhelming or paralyzing. And deliberately create positive mantras—like “I can do this,” or “one thing at a time,” or anything else that produces a feeling of relative calm, peace, and encouragement.”
“I get discouraged and sometimes even shut down when I think about graduating and starting a career, but I talk myself back into why I began this journey in the first place,” says Stephanie Shupe, a master’s student in counseling at West Chester University in Pennsylvania.
Here are a few additional suggestions to keep a positive outlook:
- Strengthen and access a social support network.
- Find a mentor.
- Start a new hobby—ceramics, a book club, yoga, etc.
- Go for an evening walk with friends in a safe area.
- Volunteer for a nonprofit.
- Start a new book.
- Write your own book! Or start journaling.
When Is It Serious?
All these suggestions aside, how can a student know when he or she really has a problem and needs to seek a counselor, psychologist, or other form of help? Can you tell if you, or a friend, are depressed?
“Students tend to confuse stress with depression,” says Barbara Quinn, a psychology student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. “Most don’t realize that the ‘symptoms’ they consider to be stress are actually the onset of depression.”
Clinical depression or anxiety can severely hold a student back from his or her highest personal and academic potential. Below is a brief checklist of possible symptoms, according to the National Institute of Mental Health:
- Feeling sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, guilty, worthless, helpless, irritable, or restless.
- Lack of energy.
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering information, or making decisions.
- Trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much.
- Loss of appetite, or excessive eating.
- Thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts.
- Aches, pains, headaches, cramps, or consistent digestive problems.
- Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy.
“Depression is sometimes hard to detect in college students,” says Dr. Jonathan Pastor, a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Princeton, New Jersey. “They are under so much stress, and often have erratic sleeping and eating schedules. A bona fide depressive episode can be misconstrued as a normal reaction to stress. Also, a popular misconception is that someone needs to ‘feel’ depressed to have clinical depression. The fact is that some people suffer from depression without feeling the sadness or emotional pain, but have a hard time coming up with activities that they have enjoyed lately that are normally enjoyable.”
Getting Help
A student off-balance with one or several of the symptoms of depression can speak with a specialist or counselor on campus to learn strategies to cope. Depending on the student’s condition, he or she might be referred to a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist to get help.
A student, who prefers to remain anonymous, discusses the benefits of seeking help: “I didn’t understand what was happening until I saw a counselor. I thought things were this hard for everyone. After I was diagnosed with ADHD, my doctor explained that since I wasn’t able to focus on conversations or schoolwork, I lost confidence and became depressed; after therapy and medication, I feel more like myself and can live up to my potential.”
The take-away point here is that you don’t have to suffer through this challenging time of the semester. By taking action and talking to others, you can get your mojo back and maintain a positive attitude.
ANNA-MARIE JAESCHKE IS A MASTER'S STUDENT IN EXERCISE AND SPORT PSYCHOLOGY AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY IN PHILADELPHIA. SHE ENJOYS RUNNING, COOKING, TRAVELING, AND A GOOD PHILLY CHEESESTEAK.
Find Out MoreDepression and College Students - The National Institute of Mental Health offers more information about depression.
Maintain Mental Health The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide guidance on mental health issues.
If you’re looking for help with a mental health crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s toll-free 24-hour hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or 1-800-799-4889 to speak with a trained counselor.
