Mental Health Services & Coping with Stress
Mental Health in Education
"57% of students with positive anxiety or depression screens have not used counseling or therapy." (Lee, 2021)
Even when students had visited a counseling center, about one-fourth of them did not return for a scheduled appointment, while another 14.1% of students declined further services. (Lee, 2021)
80% of college students across the country reported that COVID-19 negatively affected their mental health, with 20% reporting that their mental health had significantly worsened. (Lee, 2021)
What We're Dealing With
In an online study, 56% of students did not know where to go if they had immediate needs for professional mental health services (Lee, 2021). 85% of college students felt increased anxiety and stress during the pandemic, but only 21% of respondents sought a licensed counselor or a professional (Lee, 2021).
More and more students have felt an increase in stress throughout the last few years and don't always know where to turn.
Healthy Minds Network’s survey (2020), which collected data from 14 college campuses across the country between March and May of 2020, the percentage of students with depression increased by 5.2% compared to the year before. However, 58.2% of respondents never tried mental health care and about 60% of students felt that it became more difficult to access to mental health care since the pandemic (Lee, 2021).
So, What Can You Do To Cope With Stress?
Exercise! Exercising is one of the best ways to combat against stress. Whether that would be taking a stroll at the park or hitting your favorite muscle group in the gym, getting up and about away from stressors has been proven to decrease cortisol levels and stress overall.
Got no time? Or the gym isn't something you fathom? No worries, studies show that the most effective exercises that reduce stress "are affordable and can be done within the confines of older adults' homes or neighborhoods" (Reichert et al., 2007) such as:
- Yoga
- Walking/jogging
- Dancing
- Biking
Mental Health Services and How We Can Help
Statistically there is a significant correlation between the perceived academic stress of university students and their mental well-being (Barbayanni, 2022). This means the higher their stress, the worse their mental well-being is. Utilizing mental health services can help students deal with their academic stress to create a better mental well-being.
Student Wellness Center
There are a variety of resources offered to students FOR FREE!
There are even special presentations for classrooms or student groups that address loneliness and getting connected on campus.
Therapy Assisted Online is another great tool for students which features an online library of engaging interactive resources to help manage anxiety, depression, and other common concerns.
Mental Health Workshops
- Stress Management 101
- Coping With Distress
- Assertiveness Skills
- Becoming an Adaptive Perfectionist
- Cultivating Resilience through Mindfulness