Opinion
Remembering our humanity and prioritizing mental health
By Eva Lynch-Comer ’19
November 10, 2016
Tags opinion
When the leaves began to change colors in early fall, a part of me was happy and eager to observe the beautiful change of the seasons. Another part of me felt apprehension and an odd sense of dread. I remember during my first year I got so nervous once it was autumn that I couldn’t even enjoy the fall colors and it didn’t make sense to me because I used to really enjoy this time of the year. I was transitioning into college and worrying about midterms at the same time the seasons were in transition, and for some reason that made me feel much more nervous.
Then, I read an article about “Autumn Anxiety” and I realized that there was a name for the intense discomfort I was feeling. I had learned about seasonal affective disorders before, but I don’t think I had ever really felt the effects of it until after I came to college. WebMD defines seasonal affective disorder as “a type of depression that occurs during the same season each year,” and I have learned that along with the winter Blues, I also struggle with Autumn Wnxiety. It was almost liberating to learn more about how I was feeling, because before I couldn’t figure out how the outside world was so colorful when inside I felt so sad and anxious.
On Nov. 2, the Peer Counseling group sent out an email about Winter Blues. The email explained that because there will be less sunlight during the day, people will start to feel less motivated, more tired and more sad. As a person who struggles with anxiety and depression, I definitely feel like my mental health gets worse around the fall and winter months. While we are in college there is a lot of pressure on us to be successful students and to maintain a well-rounded life. It can become overwhelming and sometimes we forget to prioritize our mental health. As we get closer to winter and autumn comes to an end, how can we prepare ourselves to deal with seasonal affective disorders?
The Counseling Center is a resource for students suffering with mental health issues during this time and the Peer Counselors are a new addition to the Counseling Center, there to provide more support. I think that especially since they sent this email about the Winter Blues, they are trying to make us aware of the fact that mental health issues can arise more especially during this time of the year, and this awareness is important. Additionally, we just had the Mental Health Speak Out last week, and now that I think about it the speak out couldn’t have happened at a better time. This event is really important in that it makes strides in bringing awareness to mental health on campus. Minds for Change state that the goal of the Speak-Out is “to break down the stigma surrounding mental health” which is a very powerful mission to have, especially now.
Just this weekend there was the second annual on-campus mindfulness Retreat in the Chapel which I attended and found to be very therapeutic. We did sitting meditations, yoga, attended a mindfulness lecture and did watercolor painting (which reminded me of the carefree joy I used to feel when I was younger). I am so glad I went, because sometimes I really get caught up in a work-only mentality, and forget to do things that are important to me and that will help improve my mental well being.
The Counseling Center is not perfect. I scheduled an appointment with my counselor last week and I won’t be able to see them until next week, which is upsetting. However, there are other resources available to me such as the Peer Counselors, and my friends and my family. Sometimes I don’t schedule appointments with the Counseling Center even though I want to because I always use the excuse “I don’t have enough time.” I almost didn’t attend the Mental Health Speak Out or the Mindfulness Retreat because I thought I needed to continue to do work throughout the day. However, the retreat was rejuvenating and helped me feel even more motivated.
The Mental Health Speak Out was a very cathartic experience for me because as I listened to my fellow students share their experiences, I felt like I wasn’t alone. I remember last year my friend told me that “we are students, but we are humans first.” As we enter the winter months I want us to remember that it is okay to feel anxious or depressed at times, because we are all going through this struggle together. But most of all, I hope we all remember that we’re all human, and that we should put our physical, emotional, spiritual and mental needs first.