Get back in the driver’s seat; tips for taking control of your mental health

The first day of spring semester, Jan. 22, marked the end of the 10 darkest weeks of the year surrounding the winter solstice.

While the winter snow and frigid temperatures seem to be unrelenting for the moment, daylight has begun to stick around longer than we’ve been used to since mid-November.

Getting some more vitamin D certainly won’t hurt anyone, but the effect on our mental health is probably more significant.

Seasonal affective disorder, aptly abbreviated to SAD, is a type of depression that is directly related to the changing of the seasons. According to the Mayo Clinic, SAD shouldn’t be dismissed as just “winter blues” — it goes beyond typical feelings of cabin fever from being cooped up inside, and affects concentration, sleep patterns and interest in usual activities.

The promise of spring and summer on the horizon is a relief for those of us who suffer from SAD more intensely in the fall and winter, but improving mental health is a year-round pursuit. If current national and local events are any indication, it’s shaping up to be a stressful year — so taking control of your mental health is more important now than ever.

When things feel hopeless, it’s in our best interests to manage stress and control what we can. Here’s some options for getting back in the driver’s seat of your mental health so you can stay afloat through the last few months of winter and beyond.

CSB+SJU has a plethora of resources available for students at no cost. Counseling is available by appointment at both campuses Monday through Friday in Lottie Hall (CSB) and Mary Hall (SJU). Appointments can be made on the Well-Being Center website (www.csbsju.edu/well-being-center/counseling/).

Scheduling an appointment can feel intimidating, and you may not be ready to fully commit to counseling, so Walk-In Wednesday is another great resource. Every Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., mental health clinicians take 20-minute consultations in Lottie and Mary Halls on a first-come, first-served basis. These consultations are free and anonymous and can be a great way to get the ball rolling if you feel as though you may need additional help.

If counseling isn’t something that you are comfortable with, there are plenty of things you can do to manage your own mental health. Adequate sleep, exercise and nutrition has a huge impact on how you feel.

According to the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, sleep deprivation has a direct connection to the onset and worsening of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Sleep is the time that our brains recover and adapt, and this time is incredibly important to maintain a healthy brain and mental state.

Exercise is another simple thing that you can do to improve mental health symptoms. This doesn’t have to be a full workout program with excess intensity; even 10-to15-minute periods of walking throughout the day can have an impact. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular exercise releases endorphins that lead to positive feelings and provides a time where you can think about something other than negative thoughts. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by how much you can do or how intense your workouts can be, so the most important thing is to start slowly and ease into it.

Dr. Eva Selhub, Harvard Medical School staff member and contributing editor for the Harvard Health Blog, writes about studies linking diet to mental health. These studies have found that diets high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, fish and seafood have been linked to 25% to 35% lower risk of depression than diets full of processed and refined foods and sugars.

While it may seem like a drastic change to cut out processed foods, sugars and other inflammatory substances, you don’t have to take it this far to have an impact on your mental health. Simply making sure that you are getting fruits, vegetables and other nutrient rich foods will make a difference. Vitamins and minerals have a huge impact on your mental wellbeing, and many people fall into a pattern of missing nutrients if offerings at the Reef or Gorecki aren’t the most appealing. By all means, eat something you enjoy to get yourself through an intense study session, but be conscious of your nutrition as well.

Lastly, we encourage all students on campus to use their voices to raise awareness for mental health needs. This past Sunday, the president’s office sent out an email announcing a CSB+SJU partnership with the Healthy Minds Network to conduct a Healthy Minds Study (HMS). This study will be aimed at collecting confidential survey responses to get a sense of how students are feeling and tailor the mental health resources already available to better serve our campuses.

You are your own best advocate. If there was ever a time to actively participate in the many surveys that the institutions facilitate, this is it. This is a chance to help not just yourself but also assist current and future Bennies and Johnnies in getting the help they need — and we implore you to take it.

Mental health is an issue that will undoubtably follow us throughout our college careers and into our future lives. Follow-up emails about the HMS will be sent in the coming weeks, with the survey open from Feb. 23 through March 14. When you receive this survey, consider yourselves and the campus community that surrounds you — your personal wellbeing and the future of mental health support services at CSB+SJU is in your hands.