Students thought life couldn’t get any more stressful. That’s when the pandemic decided to prove them wrong! Many of them are now in an utter state of confusion and despair, unsure of what to expect from the future. The sudden disruption of the education system is also having a significant mental impact on the students. Thus, besides normalizing an online learning culture, authorities are also providing students with mental health resources.
Accompanying the closure of schools are various other underlying factors that further aggravate the deterioration of student’s mental health. Many part-timers, for instance, must now adjust to online learning as opposed to attending evening school. Other international students with instructions to vacate hostels are unable to return home. Thus, the pandemic is affecting more than just the academic aspects of student life.
The availability of and access to mental health resources can help students adapt to an altered lifestyle. Although maintaining mental health is more of an individual effort, it’s not easy to affect without a bit of a push and motivation.
So, we recommend:
Mental Health Resources #1 — Consulting an Expert
This may sound a bit drastic, but consulting an expert can actually help. The stress and depression that the pandemic is subjecting the students to can be highly overwhelming.
Even before COVID-19, many college students suffered from severe depression due to the unpredictability of their situation. The stress often had its roots in the fear of compromising on their college degree. After all, that is an investment that will affect pretty much all of their adulthood.
Find out what makes college such a worthy investment.
Now, though, there is the added stress of being cooped up all day. To cope with it, get in touch with a family psychiatrist or your college counselor. Clear your mind with their aid and focus on more positive prospects.
Here’s how someone with a mental health degree can make a difference.
Mental Health Resources #2 – Leveraging Applications and Helplines
With relevant research and outlook, you can find a number of mental health resources online. They specifically focus on students, so they can look after their mental health. Digital platforms, like TAO Connect, have recently launched a group session feature. Through it, clinicians can address about 100 users at once.
Sharpen, another Mental Colleges App, is collaborating with health providers to connect with students facing anxiety and depression. They provide effective techniques, guidelines, and tips to help students maintain a more productive attitude. The customized approach that this platform takes makes it stand apart from other online resources.
A meditation app, Ten Percent Happier, with an updated algorithm is addressing students’ mental health. Now, it features various prep talks, blogs, and podcasts that can help soothe your anxiety and bring some clarity to your thoughts.
Caring for your mental health is even more important now with the coronavirus ravaging the societal bonds. Subscribe and follow reliable mental health sites to keep yourself motivated. Expect that you might undergo phases of depression or anxiety. But also make mental health resources and expert help your constant companions – or within your reach.
Also, numerous helplines provide emergency and on-the-spot help. These numbers are usually included in the yellow pages, but you should also have them handy. A few helpful mental health helplines include:
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Hotline: 1-800-985-5990
- NYC Well: 1-888-692-9355
Mental Health Resources #3 — Self-Evaluation
With all the above mental health resources available to you, it is also vital that you take part in caring for your mental health personally. There are many step-by-step guides and evaluation tips that can aid you in coping with stress. Start by carrying out a holistic inspection of what makes you uncomfortable. Then, try to address the underlying causes head-on.
Fact Checking
For example, many mental health providers believe that students who are sensitive to changes should abstain from repeated usage of social media. Likewise, checking the pandemic statistics every hour cannot be good for our mental state. If you must do it, be sure about the credibility of the information you believe in. It is a necessity in this era of information overload. Some such reputable sources include the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress.
Limiting Sociability
Also, remove yourself from social interactions online for a while if you find them emotionally exhausting. Instead, indulge in meditation using apps like Equanimity and Ten Percent Happier. Another good resource, TalkSpace might bring about a positive change in your life. Apps like Breathe2Relax, IntelliCare, and MindShift can help too. Through them, practice being mindful of your thoughts and behavior using scientifically proven strategies. Fantastic apps like these can provide you with a better insight into what’s happening to your body and how to manage it.
Sticking to a Schedule
Last but not least, organize your life. Compartmentalizing your activities and making a timetable can be very helpful. What most stresses out a student is the unfamiliar online class culture.
Want to know how to maintain an effective study routine during the pandemic?
As much as these online classes can depress you, they are also confirmative. By their very nature, these steps that the authorities are taking will ensure that your hard work will not go to waste, and your career prospects will not suffer. Moreover, they provide meaning and productivity to your routine during the quarantine.
Here’s why online classes are an excellent way to keep you distracted during the pandemic.
Other than making the best use of the online classes, you must also work on yourself. Once you self-reflect and evaluate yourself, you will step out of the COVID-enforced funk to a consciously happier life.
Conclusion
Certainly, the pandemic is hindering us from living our lives the way we used to. Make the best use of online services and information to keep you involved in productive activities and also distract you from the uncertainty enveloping us. Learn more about the world around you by reading articles and blogs here on our website.