Here’s the hard truth: During the 2020–2021 school year, more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem. 

The fact is, the pressure of higher education is becoming more and more agonizing as the years go by. 

In Fall of 2022, about 30% of student respondents said anxiety negatively affected their academic performance. Furthermore, just over 1 in 5 students reported having been diagnosed with depression by a healthcare professional.

The biggest shift in mental health concerns among college students lies in anxiety and related conditions, including increased stress, heightened mental vigilance, and the inability to cope with life challenges.

Burn out, stress, anxiety, depression, all play a factor in most college students' daily routine these days. Where is it all stemming from? 

The Pressure and Finding The Balance. One specific study shows that around 70% of college students are or have been stressed about finances at one point or another during their college career. 

In fact, School administrators recommend that students ideally work 10-15 hours per week, if they have to work at all.. For full-time students, this leaves them adequate time to spend in class and on assignments, while exploring interests and building relationships.

For many, that’s just not possible. An astonishing 43% of students are enrolled in college full time, while also working full time. Suddenly it all makes sense: most college students are struggling to barely keep their head above water and they often find themselves burnt out with this lifestyle and the cycle continues and repeats itself.

So if you’re stressed while headed back to campus, what can you do? 

Feeling burnt out or overloaded can seriously damage your mind and body, especially long term. It will make you more vulnerable to physical and mental health problems later in life.. Additionally, chronic stress keeps you from being your best self. While stress is inevitable, and not inherently bad, it's important to find healthy ways to deal with it. Some things you can do when you're feeling overwhelmed include:

Take things slow:

No one said you had to rush and finish college in 4 years. Create a path that works for you and your lifestyle. If you have to work and support yourself full-time then maybe you should spread out your college career a little more by scaling back to part-time attendance. 

Have regular check-ins with yourself: 

In your college-world of keeping up with The Joneses, it’s okay to check out of life on campus and focus more on how you are doing. Simple check-ins may save you from spiraling out of control. Ask yourself these questions: 

How am I doing? 

Am I satisfied with the path that I am on right now? 

Am I living my life authentically?

If you aren’t pleased with your responses, then it’s time to correct whatever is going left in your life. 

Make a plan, then slowly build a system in place that supports that plan; and most importantly, be aware of yourself. Recognize the signs when you are falling into a bad place mentally so that you can pour into yourself and correct it. 

If you’re serious about your mental health, and finding true peaceful happiness on campus this fall then you need to check out our Glow Within kit that is powered with an impactful Guided Meditation and a soft-life music playlist that fully supports your journey to peace.