Devin Dornbrock College was easily one of the most stressful times of my life. It felt like I was expected to know everything and have my whole life mapped out at the ripe age of 18. And I didn’t. It felt like I didn’t know much of anything, and the time to figure it all out had somehow slipped by without me noticing. My support network was over 150 miles away, and my mental health started taking a 4-year decline that I didn’t really start recovering from for a long time. I’m not trying to scare anyone; I just hope to share some mental health tips that help someone else having a hard time.
1. Meet New People
I don’t think of myself as an extrovert. Talking to new people turns my stomach into knots, and I know it can be even worse for some people. That being said, being around people is the only way to build a new support system in a new place. Making new friends also makes college a lot more fun and helped me relieve a ton of the stress that builds up with all the other changes college entails.
2. Join a Club or Extracurricular
A great way to regularly interact with the same people and bond over a shared interest is to sign up for a club or other extracurricular. And honestly, even if you don’t end up sticking with the club, you could still end up making some new friends. I encourage you to stick with it, though, if only to help build out a weekly routine that doesn’t revolve solely around classes and homework.
3. Keep a Regular Sleep Schedule
Somehow in the transition from high school to college, everyone loses the ability to wake up before 10am without feeling like death warmed over. It doesn’t help that cramming for tests usually entails trying to pull an all-nighter and further screwing up your internal sleep clock. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule is so important for your mental health.
I recommend picking a time to regularly wake up every day, even if you don’t have class til noon. The longer you stick to it, the easier it will be to wake up in the mornings. It’s also really nice to have an hour of peace to just relax before your day really starts, which is hard to find when you’re rolling out of bed and immediately running to make it to your next lecture at 2pm.
4. Pints of Ice Cream Are Not a Meal
Mini-fridges are terrible places to store ice cream—sad but true. With that information in mind, my 18-year-old self often decided that a pint of Ben & Jerry’s may as well be dinner since it wouldn’t keep anyway. Unfortunately for my 18-year-old self, Ben & Jerry’s is not a real meal.
When you don’t give your body the nutrients it needs, your body rebels. Breakouts, headaches, stomach problems, and added stress can all be the results of subsisting on junk food. Many of us do in college because we’re already stressed out, and it feels good to at least enjoy something tasty when you’re trying to keep up with 6 different assignments, somehow all due tonight at midnight.
5. Take Notes by Hand
This is probably not the most popular of mental health tips that help, but it’s going to make a huge difference.
When you’re in college, the focus of your life is usually your classes. Whether you like them or not, you kind of have to prioritize them above most other things. Doing well in something that is taking up most of your bandwidth 5+ days a week will naturally be a lot less stressful than struggling in those same things. Less stress means less strain on you and your mental health.
Taking your notes by hand is 100% going to help you do better in class than just typing them. Several studies show that writing something by hand is more stimulating to the brain than typing it. One study in particular looked at the brain activity of university students and determined that writing notes by hand may lead to improved learning and memory.
6. Avoid Studying in Bed
This tip is twofold. Firstly, you’ll want to avoid studying in bed to avoid disrupting your sleep schedule. The more often you spend time in bed without actually trying to sleep in it, the harder it can be to actually fall asleep when it’s time. When you are only in bed when it’s time to sleep, your brain will subconsciously train itself to shut down when you’re in it. You won’t form the connection that bed = sleep as easily if you’re doing other things in it.
Even if you don’t have that strong subconscious connection, you’ll probably still have a weak one. Which means it’ll be harder to get through 3 chapters of academic journals you have to review before the midterm tomorrow.
7. Talk to Your Roommates About Boundaries
Many universities require freshmen to sleep on campus in a dorm. Which means you’ll probably have a roommate at some point in your college life. Living with a new roommate can be challenging, so finding a way to get along is important.
Your mental health will thank you if you talk about mutual boundaries that help you like your roommate. They may not be your best friend, but if you at least feel comfortable around them, it will be a lot easier to have them all up in your life.
8. Remind Yourself That You Can Change Your Mind
Plenty of people change majors in college, and even more end up working in a field after college that has nothing to do with their degree. I know when I was a freshman in college, I felt like declaring a major was basically setting my future in stone, which in turn sent me into a tailspin of an existential crisis.
This is one of the biggest mental health tips that can help if you can make yourself really believe it. Some things are just easier to say than to actually believe, and to me, this feels like one of them.
I wouldn’t suggest starting college and dropping out just for the student loans’ sake, but you can absolutely change your mind about where college takes you at any time.
9. Stay Organized
College life really feels like the beginning of an adult life. If you aren’t already, you’ll probably have to start paying your own bills, managing your own diet, keeping a stock of household supplies, and so much more. You’ll have to find a way to stay on top of everything. And that’s okay! College is a transitional phase; you can find support if you struggle to find a good balance.
That’s why figuring out a way to stay organized is truly one of the mental health tips that help. Dealing with the fallout of falling behind on classes or missing a bill is going to have a huge impact on your mental state.
10. Look Into Your School’s Mental Health Support
If you’re going to remember any of these mental health tips that help, please remember this one. If you’re struggling in college and need help, find support.
Whether your college has a guidance counselor or an entire department dedicated to students’ mental health, they are incredibly likely to have something. You don’t have to struggle on your own.
For more support, check out this list of mental health resources.
