Demographic - College Students

Occasional stress is a part of everyday academic life. It can even have a positive effect, challenging you to meet new goals.

It can be a difficult time. Suddenly, perhaps for the first time in your life, you’re moving away from everything familiar to you – family, friends, home, community – and beginning to make your way as a young adult entirely surrounded by strangers, in a new setting. You may feel that everything is on the line: your ability to succeed at college-level work, to build adult relationships, and to adapt to a lot of change all at once.

When people are depressed, they may experience other health or mental health problems. To relieve the misery of depression, some people turn to drugs or alcohol.

It’s that time of year…a new stage of life as a college student or returning to friends and a new semester. You don’t yet have to worry about exams and you can enjoy the weekends. It can be an exciting time, and it can be a stressful time.

Sometimes the multitude of life’s changes that occur during your college years can trigger serious depression.  At this vulnerable time, the smartest thing you can do for yourself is to seek help. 

What can you do to help when a friend or loved one is struggling with their mental health? Reaching out is important! Knowing your friend or loved one is struggling with their mental health can be scary and confusing. You may feel helpless, but you can make a difference by listening, being prepared, and knowing when to act.

Test anxiety is an uneasiness or apprehension experienced before, during or after an examination because of concern, worry or fear. Almost everyone experiences some anxiety. But some students find anxiety interferes with their learning and test-taking to such an extent that their grades are seriously affected.

We all experience times when we need to take a step back and focus on ourselves. This self-care is not selfish. Remember, you must fill your own cup before you can pour into others'.

In many ways, college offers a “blank slate” and is the perfect time and place to reinvent yourself. Between the independent living, opportunities to pursue your own interests, new people to meet, and different social scenes to become a part of, it may feel like you can leave your pre-college self behind and start over.

Don’t let stigma or generational divides stop you from advocating for yourself.