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Mental Health In College Students is Spiking -Learn How They are Struggling Amidst the Coronavirus Outbreak

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Last Updated on May 18, 2021 by blendtw

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Mental health in college students is something that has always been of utmost concern. College students are very susceptible to many pressures, and changes. They move out of their homes into dorms where they have freedom and independence. But also a new copious amount of responsibilities ranging from managing academics, being involved on campus, and so on.

The rampant lifestyle change oftentimes translates into feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious, and even depressed. These feelings tend to be onsets of experiencing mental health issues. And they heighten underlying mental health conditions that were either known or unknown.

One in two college students have reported struggling with mental health or claim their own as average or poor. Further, about 80% of students report feelings of being overwhelmed. 

With the increase of mental health issues in college students, colleges tend to provide many resources on campus to address these issues. Offices like counseling centers and safe offices are provided to students free of charge.

Additionally, these resources are accessible to any student with any experience ranging from depression, anxiety, eating disorders, academic stress, etc.

Despite the mental health in college students being a national concern, these issues have allowed for a prolific amount of awareness. Offices and student leaders are able to address these concerns and acknowledge warning signs.

On a more national scale, there has been a guideline book released on how to address, navigate, and start conversations around mental health in this age demographic.

It is important to note that many students experiencing issues might turn to peers for support. College is a community where everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is experiencing the stress of academics and balancing other aspects of life with that.

Students tend to turn to one another and serve as each other’s support systems in times of need. They also gain a sense of agency and autonomy in college that they would not have at home. This independence can also serve as mentally beneficial to students.

With the recent Coronavirus outbreak, there have been many implications for the mental health of college students. The CDC has called for social distancing and staying at home in quarantine unless for the acquiring of essentials to help stop the spread of the virus. Colleges have created emergency plans that have sent students home for the remainder of their spring semester. 

Many students do not have their belongings with them or have even had the chance to say goodbye to their friends due to the rapidly changing nature of this unpredictable virus. The Coronavirus outbreak has caused many changes to the everyday lives of college students that they are used to by now. 

Classes have been put online and are now taught in a remote learning style. Graduations nationally have been postponed or turned virtual as CDC guidelines call for the canceling of mass gatherings. Abroad programs have been cancelled. Students on campus jobs have been cancelled. 

Remote campus resources like counseling centers or career offices are now very limited in online availability. Most importantly, students are now either living in their family homes or are unable to go home. 

Students that are unable to go home might live in a different country and are now stuck on a deserted campus with limited resources. Additionally, college students at home might not be used to living at home. It also might not be a positive experience for every college student.

 Every student has different circumstances with their family, financially, and mentally. Due to the closing of large events, in place dinings, gyms, sports, etc., college students are now forced to stay where they are with no escape or outlet of mental release.

Students have switched to e-learning due to the coronavirus outbreak

On-campus, college students have the freedom to do what makes them feel happy. But quarantine and shelter in place disallow this privilege. 

Despite this, college students are still expected to perform academically to their best ability even under distracting circumstances.

College students no longer have access to campus resources and friends as support systems to the same degree that they did on campus. 

Students might not be in the right headspace to perform to the best of their ability academically. Besides online tutoring resources, students do not have study spaces, office hours, or in person tutoring at home. Distractions at home like family members working remotely or bad wifi can make learning a burden.

 Students also are forced to continually face the severity of the Coronavirus outbreak and cope mentally with life changes on their own. This complete alteration of life can serve as overwhelming and unsettling. Especially since the mental health of college students is already fragile and a major concern.

As a college student, I have been able to talk to my college friends about how they are coping mentally with the Coronavirus outbreak and being at home. Amongst the six college students I talked to, three of them see this situation in a negative light.

Female Junior from Boston who is living at home says: “I’d say for me, I am struggling a lot more than I would be on campus. It’s really hard not being around my usual support system and also just with people who are dealing with the same kind of problems as I am.

Overall, I don’t feel the same kind of encouragement and desire to succeed, which I feel at school. It is a lot harder to dedicate myself to my schoolwork.”

Female Junior from China who is living on campus says: “The fact that I can’t socialize with people is making me depressed. Recent coping methods have been sleeping.”

Male Sophomore from Tennessee living at home says: “This is among the more painful experiences of my life. Not because of the virus, but because I’m not allowed to leave my house for literal months and I can’t see my friends until the fall, at earliest. 

The fact that we could be held at home for any amount of the fall semester scares me greatly. Closing college campuses might be the right thing to do now, but as crazy as this may seem, opening them in the fall is the right thing to do.  It has to happen.”

For people like us, not being able to go to college hurts us beyond anything. It’s going to get to the point where the fear of not being able to return to school is greater than any fear of contracting the virus, if it hasn’t gotten to that point already. 

I understand the reason for social distancing, but at the same time, we have lives to live. And, there just comes a time when we have to return to them.  Whether it’s us college kids or people working in any industry, we have to resume our lives at some point in the next few months. Never forget that’s a part of our well being and affects our health.”

While many college students have been having a hard time coping during the Coronavirus outbreak, many college college students have also remained positive during this time.

The three students I talked to focused on what exactly they are doing to cope with this situation in order to remain relaxed and mentally well. 

These students talked about keeping busy in whatever way they desire. This includes staying connected to others, and maintaining a routine involving self care.

Female Junior from New Jersey living at home says: “I think that this quarantine/ virus outbreak has really emphasized the importance of taking care of myself and my mental health.

 I have been more aware of the down time. I need from doing work or fulfilling other responsibilities, and the importance of exercising daily and getting good sleep.

I think that right now we have no break from the workday and no separation of spaces like we normally would. Whether it be an office or library we would normally inhabit to work, our homes have now constantly made us available to overwork ourselves. And, we all need to remember to take a minute for relaxation sometimes and enjoy this time together.”

Female Senior from Florida living at home says: “During quarantine, I have had to brainstorm ways to keep good mental health. I try to get outside every day whether it is for a walk or swimming in my pool because I know that getting fresh air and sunshine is important.”

My friends are also a good source of mental support during this time. I try to check in with them every few days over text or zoom so I feel connected to others. 

Not every day is a good mental health day, but I try to keep a normal schedule to remind myself to not spend every day in my room/house.”

Female Sophomore from Ohio living at home says: “I would say that mentally it is challenging to not be discouraged by the situation. But maintaining a routine, keeping in touch with friends, and spending some time outside to walk my dogs really helps me feel better.”

It is important to note that everyone has their own unique experience in dealing and coping with this issue. Everyone is struggling and everyone is trying to just keep pushing through in whatever way possible. No one experience downplays someone else’s experience. There is no right or wrong way to feel or respond. 

The coronavirus outbreak has put all college students in a difficult situation. College students have a lot of pressure on them academically. But the mental health of college students is something that should not be ignored. 

Adapting to a new routine at home can serve as quite challenging. It is imperative to pay attention to signs of stress. It is also necessary to manage stress by supporting others and finding healthy ways to unwind yourself as well.

College Voices

5 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Actually Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions in 2023

With 2021 finally over, and many making plans for a better year, these are some easy ways to stick to your New Year’s Resolutions.

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Last Updated on February 12, 2023 by Cher

The year 2022 is finally over, and we have a new year to look forward to! 

If you’re anything like the majority of the world’s population, you’ve made New Year’s resolutions in the past—and broken them within a month.

But you keep making them, because you enjoy the optimism: beginning a new year on the right foot, promising to be a better, more fit and a more skilled version of yourself. 

Here are ways you can stick to your New Year’s Resolutions in 2022

  1. Tell people about your resolution

Usually, we’re told that peer pressure is a bad thing. But in the case of a New Years’ Resolution, it might be just what you need. Positive reinforcement (encouragement and support) from your friends and family can push you to learn the guitar, lose the beer belly, or whatever it is you want to do in this new year.

Disappointment (or the fear of it) can also push you to work harder toward your goal. If the cost of failing on your resolution is a whole bunch of awkward and sad conversations, maybe that’ll keep you on the straight and narrow.

  1. Break it down into manageable chunks

This is something essentially everybody tells you about anything, but it’s true. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step—and continues, step by step.

A New Years’ Resolution isn’t accomplished all at once, but rather gradually. Don’t push yourself too hard, and don’t get down on yourself if your goal is still a long way off.

Set realistic markers along the way, and at each one check in with yourself. That way, you’ll get a sense of accomplishment as you go, and you’ll see your progress stack up.

  1. Care for yourself

Treat your New Year’s Resolution as what it is: a gift. When you accomplish it, not only will you get the benefit of whatever your goal is, but you’ll feel more confidence and pride in yourself.

This feeling of accomplishment is full of benefits: it makes you better poised to chase down the next opportunity, better prepared to be a positive influence in the lives of others, and can even make you live longer.

In making a New Years’ Resolution, and caring about yourself, you’re giving the best present you can give yourself, so don’t think of it as correcting something that’s wrong about you, but giving yourself another thing that’s right about you.

  1. Forgive yourself, don’t define yourself 

When a friend who’s made a mistake comes to you for help, do you immediately tell them that they’re worthless, that everybody knows it, and that they should just give up already?

No, but this treatment is something of the norm when it comes to yourself. Unfortunately, many of us treat ourselves this way; we are quick to criticize and slow to forgive.

Strangely enough, this negative self-talk often gives us permission to betray our resolutions. 

If you resolve, in 2023, to cut down on carbs and one night you give in to the urge to order a bunch of pasta on Postmates, don’t beat yourself up for it the next morning.

Accept the mistake and continue working toward your goal the next day. Don’t decide you’re undisciplined, gluttonous, and have failed.

Everyone messes up a few times and forgiveness is the best way to move forward. 

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  1. Use your resolution as a chance to explore new horizons 

We all have ideas about who we’d like to be, and we all face the realities of who we are.

While a person who wakes up every morning at 6 a.m. and works out in order to get a clean, fresh start to the day is certainly admirable, that person might not be you. In making resolutions, pick goals that flow organically from who you are.

If you don’t know who you are (because who really does?) then go into a resolution with flexibility. 

If, for example, your resolution is to get fit, don’t force yourself into a box with it. Instead, try different exercises, intensities, and intervals.

Don’t stick yourself in the gym for a 45-minute routine with weights when what you’d really enjoy doing is going to a yoga class or going for a run.

Realize that everybody is different, and rather than changing yourself into somebody new, your resolution can be a way of discovering who you might already be.

Think of it as an exploration. Let things develop, and commit to remaining open and focused.

A list of Woody Guthrie's New Year's Resolutions on a lined notebook.
Woody Guthrie’s New Year’s Resolutions — a good role model
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The year, 2023 will likely be another challenging year. You already know why, so there’s no reason to repeat it here.

But remember that you got through 2022, and if your resolution for 2023 is to just survive it sane, healthy, and maybe a little wiser—that’s totally fine.

It’ll take some doing, but you’re definitely further along than you think you are. 

THAT’S A WRAP! THIS POST WAS ALL ABOUT TIPS TO KEEP YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS! WAS IT USEFUL?  SHARE THE LOVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

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College Voices

The Overwhelming Mental Health Impact of Climate Change

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Last Updated on January 6, 2021 by blendtw

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People across the globe are being affected by climate change. Global warming and climate change are having detrimental effects on the Earth such as increased flooding, hotter temperatures, wildfires, and droughts. Wildlife and ecosystems are being destroyed. Sea levels are rising. The list goes on and it can be overwhelming to take in the effects of climate change. This is why mental health is being greatly affected by climate change, particularly in teenagers and college students.

Climate Anxiety

Anxiety related to the global climate and fear of environmental doom is often referred to as eco-anxiety or climate anxiety. This anxiety is a legitimate reaction to a serious problem. A large population of Generation Z is burdened by climate anxiety. This is because they are concerned about their futures considering the state of the Earth and the fatal implications of climate change. 

A contributing factor to climate anxiety is the lack of action currently being taken by political leaders. Many leaders in positions of power are avoiding climate issues rather than solving them. This has prompted members of younger generations to step up and fight for change. Young activists like Greta Thunberg have taken the lead in protesting climate injustices. But watching older generations sit back while climate change is destroying the planet can lead to feelings of frustration and anger, which are common symptoms of climate anxiety.

The mental health effect of climate change
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Climate change can be a controversial topic and there is a fair amount of conflict surrounding it. Everyone reacts differently to the topic: many people shut down when climate change is brought up and they avoid the subject altogether. Others are fearful of the effects of climate change and want to help but feel powerless. And some people are eager to take action and do their part in combating climate change. 

Many teenagers and college students have made efforts to reduce their carbon footprint by making lifestyle changes. Going vegan, carpooling, and shopping sustainably are some of the many ways to cut down on carbon emissions. But unfortunately, big corporations are some of the main contributors to climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions––a major contributor to climate change––are the highest they’ve ever been. This leaves young generations as they have difficulty believing that they can make a difference. 

How Climate Change Affects Mental Health

Every continent on the Earth is now affected by climate change. Meaning, climate anxiety is a global issue and can affect anyone, regardless of location, wealth, or privilege.

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Many people are mentally affected by climate change because they have been faced with natural disasters, such as wildfires, serious storms, or flooding. While everyone reacts and copes differently, many survivors of these environmental disasters have some sort of lasting psychological trauma. PTSD, anxiety, depression, and grief are some of the many mental health issues that people who have lived through natural disasters struggle with. 

But you don’t need to be directly faced with a natural disaster to feel climate anxiety or despair over the state of the Earth. Just witnessing and learning about climate change is enough to cause mental health issues. There’s a sense of impending doom or existential dread that can wash over you when reflecting on climate change and its effects. 

Why Climate Anxiety is Often Overlooked

Climate anxiety is often overlooked or brushed off. This is because it can be difficult to discuss mental health concerns because there are still stigmas surrounding mental health. Climate anxiety is also typically not taken as seriously as other anxieties or mental health issues. This is because many people do not understand the serious, detrimental impacts of climate change. 

What to do About Climate Anxiety

  1. Talk to friends and family about climate change. 

Listen to their thoughts on the matter and discuss your own thoughts. Talk about the negative impacts and grieve with them. It can be healing and helpful to share your concerns with others.  

  1. Become a part of the solution

It is important to stay informed on environmental topics and to use your knowledge for good. Join a climate justice organization at your school or in your community. Connecting with others who also care about climate change can ease your worries and fears about the Earth’s future. Climate organizations are making a difference in your community and educating others on climate change. 

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  1. Join protests. 

If there are protests near you, make a sign and join in. Marching with other people who care about climate injustices is empowering. Protests help spark change by informing others and raising awareness. 

  1. Do what you can to help the environment. 

It is important to do what you can to reduce your own carbon footprint, but don’t become overly consumed with it. Eat a more plant-based diet, bike or carpool when you can, and use reusable bags. But try not to worry about how each of your actions will impact the environment. Those who experience climate anxiety often feel guilty about taking part in activities that affect the environment, like driving. Just do what you can and that will be enough.

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College Voices

How Social Unrest America Mirrors Social Unrest Abroad

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Last Updated on January 2, 2021 by blendtw

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With all of America’s recent and pressing events, it is easy to inadvertently ignore major happenings abroad. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest are not limited to American soil. 

When the coronavirus began spreading across the globe earlier this year, world leaders reacted to the virus as they saw fit. Fast forward to today, and the virus continues to ravage many parts of the world, increasing the number of total cases to over 50 million people. With the addition of social unrest due to racial injustice, the world seems to have a daunting amount of crises. 

Throughout this difficult time, countries imposed restrictions and limitations on their citizens in order to curb the contagion. In certain places, these limitations persist today. Subsequently, people are growing increasingly impatient as the pandemic remains as present and dangerous as it was in March. Indeed, many experts claim that the feared next wave of the virus is now in effect.

The prevailing threat and restrictions put in place have led citizens in some countries to protest. In Spain, for example, citizens have flooded city streets touting messages such as “Stop the dictatorship” or “Madrid says enough.” Unfortunately, certain rabble-rousers have taken it upon themselves to escalate these protests into less peaceful demonstrations of social unrest.

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In Madrid, rioters turned unnecessarily violent, setting fires in the city, smashing windows of local shops, and assaulting police officers. These riots do not appear to be the result of spontaneous action but rather a coordinated effort planned through social media.

If the story of peaceful protests being undermined by violent extremists sounds familiar, you may be remembering the various riots that took place in America. The George Floyd protests, unfortunately, broke down into senseless social unrest, resulting in property damage and theft to numerous cities throughout America.

Just as the coronavirus pandemic is not isolated to this country, public assemblies due to racial injustice have also formed globally. As protests advocating for social justice started in American cities, foreign citizens heard the rallying cries. Demonstrations from South America to Europe, to Africa, have echoed the message of the Black Lives Matter movement, demanding justice and equality for all citizens, regardless of skin color. A spokesperson for the Belgian Network for Black Lives, Stephanie Collingwoode-Williams reflected, “people think about how it was relevant where we are.” 

A march for diversity in Washington.
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Although American protesters set positive trends to confront one crisis, its leaders have not been as successful in combatting the coronavirus. Out of the roughly 1.27 million deaths suffered worldwide, 239,000 of them were American.

This is by far the largest death toll of any country; in addition, America also holds the record for the most cases, by well over one million. These eye-opening statistics naturally lead to critics pointing to this nation’s shortcomings in dealing with the virus. A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that throughout Donald Trump’s presidency, worldwide perceptions of America have been in decline. Recent violent outbursts from police officers, coupled with the mismanagement of the pandemic, have exacerbated this fall.

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