There is a common condition that everyone can relate to, having nothing to do with technology, income, ethnic background, or GPA ranking; this condition is called mental health. All human beings have different forms of mental health, whether we want to accept it or not, and nourishing it can be a positive factor for improving oneself academically and physically. By contrast, it can be a negative factor leading to poor grades on an exam, or feelings of doubtfulness. Mental health is not just something that is made up or should be ignored; it is a condition that determines how we are doing psychologically, and emotionally. Overall, mental health is a factor in how we feel, think, and act toward others, daily.
During stressful times, such as final exams or presentation dates, one needs to acknowledge any anxious behavior. They also need adequate sleep on the nights prior to these events, which could improve or lower their overall grade significantly. If a student is irritated or angry with themselves or others, that could lead to them performing poorly in class and withdraw socially from other members of the campus community. This is never a good thing in the long term, because social withdrawal will make it hard for a student to participate in class and extra-curricular activities. However, if a student is happy and pleasant with themselves and other people, then that will likely lead to friendships, performing well in the classroom and events, getting involved more on campus through volunteering, becoming an orientation leader, or even finding a job on campus.
Mental health has negative and positive impacts that all of us experience at one point or another throughout our lives, and therefor everyone should be aware of what those impacts are and how they can affect us and those who live and work around us. There are ways to cope with the negative mental health impacts that include, but are not limited to, talking to a professor about difficulties in class, relating personal issues to a trusted friend, or even going to the Counseling Center to talk with a counselor about serious issues that might not be tied into the classroom. The Counseling Center is a free service for students who need a place to deal with immediate personal issues; it even has the capability of being a short-term solution to finding ways to integrate yourself into long-term therapy to resolve any problems you may be experiencing in your life.
Mental health has positive impacts as well such as, getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy foods, planning enough time for exercise on a daily or weekly basis, making friends on campus by joining student clubs or groups, or just by participating in events that take place on campus. To maintain these positive aspects of mental health, one should try to build a routine of the previously mentioned impacts, as well as not being afraid to try new things and keeping an open mind to new opportunities that come up on campus. And of course, if you’re ever struggling, don’t ever hesitate to ask for help.
Source: https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health
Never Overlook Mental Health
By Manny Malave
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December 5, 2018