Mental Health Awareness Week: Remember to take care of yourselves

This week is notable. It’s “first snowfall of the winter” week. It’s Thanksgiving-Eve week, which includes the Thanksgiving dinner tradition. It’s SJU football playoff week. It’s “I’m getting to the point in the semester where I hate everyone” week.

Most importantly, it’s Mental Health Awareness Week here at CSB and SJU. Ensuring that you take care of yourself, particularly mentally, is incredibly important as we enter the final stretch of the semester and the dark days of winter. This week, there are several events being held on campus.

From student panels to an event about generational trauma, coping skills and imposter syndrome featuring Jackie Elvehjem from the CSB+SJU Counseling Center, there’s a multitude of ways you can learn more and get the conversation going. Talking about mental health is incredibly important to destigmatize the issue.

After all, everyone is affected by mental health in one way or another, either personally or through our friends and family. College students are increasingly affected. Collecting data from 373 campuses nationwide, a Health Minds study found that during the 2020-2021 school year, more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem.

It’s this commonality that makes conversations about mental health so crucial, not just this week but every day of the year. For something that is so common especially among young adults, why is there such a stigma around mental health?

Talking about mental health not only normalizes these essential conversations but reduces the stigma surrounding the issue. Talking about mental health also makes us realize that we are not alone. Although mental health disorders are on the rise, especially after the pandemic, not everyone is seeking treatment. According to a study done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “nearly 20% of Americans will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. However, fewer than half of those who experience a mental illness will seek treatment.” Talking about mental health helps others feel more comfortable and encouraged to get the help they need.

Additionally, with the occurrence of daylight savings time last weekend, we have descended upon the time of year where the sun sets earlier and earlier. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a depressive disorder that fluctuates with the seasons, typically results in lows in the winter months when there is less sunlight. In northern states like Minnesota, SAD is even more common.

Vitamin D deficiency follows that same pattern in northern states due to its ability to be synthesized in the body through sunlight. Vitamin D also has a role in mood regulation and management. Thanksgiving break is next week, a great time to take those few days to yourself and truly relax. Enjoy the time away from school and spend quality time with friends and family before the inevitable finals around the corner.

It can be a bit difficult for some to take that first step in getting help, so it is important to recognize and learn the signs and symptoms of some common mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. If you are concerned, talk to your loved one and encourage them to talk to a mental health professional.

Remember there are several resources available to you on campus. Being able to open up about your mental health will allow you to communicate how you truly feel and allow others to give you the help you need and guide you through whatever challenges you are going through. Walk-in Wednesdays are available to students for 20-minute consultations with a mental health clinician from CSB+SJU counseling.

It is held every Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. in Lottie Hall 010 at CSB and Mary Hall 010 at SJU. You can also make individual appointments. For counseling at CSB, call (320) 363-5605, and for counseling at SJU call (320) 363-3236 to schedule an appointment. Remember to check on your loved ones, take care of yourself, surround yourself with good people, breathe and remember that you are not alone.