Society today is rampant with depression and anxiety today, and as we advance socially and technologically, it’s extremely important to make sure we prioritize our mental health and caring for the brain that keeps us going. Students are a demographic that are often given less consideration than others, but often report overwhelming amounts of both. In a recent study, less than12% of students reported no anxiety and 75% admitted to struggling with depression¹. Its paramount that we equip students with the means to combat, Identify, and prevent these conditions from overwhelming their lives in a time when they’re emotionally vulnerable.

The most underutilized and often one of the most effective tools to combat both conditions is physical exercise. A study by Gabriel Rodriguez-Romo found that The higher the level of physical activity in the student, the better their Mental Health was, and the better their Mental Health is, it automatically translated into higher test scores across the board². Making sure students have a properly sized and equipped physical fitness center is extremely important. We must also make sure Faculty and staff are encouraging them in utilizing it.

Deadlines, due dates, cram sessions, all kinds of things get in the way of a good nights sleep. Giving your brain and body proper sleep is so much more important than anyone gives credit for, and making sure you get enough of it is a challenge we all face on a daily(or nightly) basis. Scientists tell us there is a bidirectional relationship between depression in students and quality of sleep³, although the two seem to feed into each other and amp up symptoms in a way that reminds me of a dysfunctional tandem bicycle. The depth of sleep you achieve can also have a heavy effect on mental health as well, lower rates of depression were reported in students achieving REM each night.

Nutrition is another massive pillar in the mental health atmosphere. We joke about students and their Ramen and Pizza diets all the time but most college cafeterias don’t serve anything of a higher quality than that as it is, and often we dont make it a point to encourage them in that direction anyways. Your body is not a machine. it’s an intricate web of living tissues that require specific nutrients and vitamins to function properly, and not feeding the body what it needs to run optimally will result in subpar performance.

Make sure you’re doing everything you can to prevent or at least lessen the effects of these conditions. If the load becomes to heavy, don’t bear it alone. Reach out to a family member or a friend, and you can even Call or Text 988 to speak to someone who can help. Lets all do our part to fight depression together!

Citations:

1. Asif S, Mudassar A, Shahzad TZ, Raouf M, Pervaiz T. Frequency of depression, anxiety and stress among university students. Pak J Med Sci. 2020 Jul-Aug;36(5):971-976. doi: 10.12669/pjms.36.5.1873. PMID: 32704273; PMCID: PMC7372668.

2. Rodríguez-Romo, Gabriel et al. “Physical Activity and Mental Health in Undergraduate Students.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 20,1 195. 23 Dec. 2022, doi:10.3390/ijerph20010195

3. Dinis, João, and Miguel Bragança. “Quality of Sleep and Depression in College Students: A Systematic Review.” Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil) vol. 11,4 (2018): 290-301. doi:10.5935/1984-0063.20180045