How is Your Brain Doing?

According to an article published by the American Psychological Association in 2022, about 60% of college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health issue. That number has been rising for decades, yet what are we actually doing about it?

According to data from Statistica, the number of individuals who receive counseling or therapy services has grown from nearly 42 million to about 60 million between 2021 and 2026. We see and hear constantly that our phones are bad for our mental health, social media is bad for our mental health, get outside, move our bodies, eat the right foods, get enough sleep and so on. It’s almost background noise at this point, yet so many people still struggle, despite these studies and resources being shoved in our faces.

We are addicted to our screens; the United States has an obesity crisis; kids are experiencing mental health issues younger and younger (yet they are still given smartphones before middle school) and hardly anyone sleeps well.

Not that all mental health is caused by screens, food, lack of movement or other things that are somewhat in our control. Trauma, serious medical conditions that affect mental health and so many other factors can play into what and how our brains function.

But if you have the tools to at least try to improve yourself, what is holding you back?

It’s hard to put down the phone. It’s hard to move throughout the day when our jobs and schoolwork keep us pinned down (literally). If you have other obligations throughout the day, eating fast food or a quick snack is a lot easier than making a whole meal.

As a college student myself who currently eats two meals a day and spends plenty of time on a screen and in a chair for both work and school, I get it. It’s hard to motivate yourself some days. There’s a point, however, when you need to stop waiting for motivation and try something else: discipline.

Motivation can be as small as “I need to change something." Discipline is “I know it’s not fun, but I’m going to do it anyway.” Discipline knows that the ends are better than the means.

Getting up an hour early to exercise is not fun at first. We all love our much-coveted sleep, and that extra hour can feel impossible at first. What if instead of getting up earlier, you spend the hour that you usually use to doomscroll at the gym? What if you went for a walk outside instead of watching TikTok?

If we let Motivation drive the bus, hardly anything would get done. Not everyone is motivated to get up in the morning, to drive to work or school and do their homework. Sometimes it just plain stinks.

However, we all know that if we got off our phones, we would feel better. We know that movement and eating a vegetable every now and then is good for us. It isn’t as fun as the alternative, but that’s where self-discipline comes in handy: you don’t have to be motivated once it becomes a habit.

Society today is used to conveniences. We want everything right now, and we want an easy fix. The hard truth is: the fix won’t be easy. If you want to feel better, sometimes it takes more than an emotional support donut. Sometimes it means we get up and go outside and move our bodies when we can. We plan meals in advance as needed so we aren’t visiting Taco Bell five times a week.

With winter coming in fast and the not-so-fun weather and loss of daylight, these habits are best built now before even more barriers and excuses come up. Making sure you have a plan in place to help your body and mind before the issues come up is extremely important. It’s very normal for it to be cold and dark outside and thus lose the desire to do much of anything very quickly. Start planning now; your mind and body will thank you later!

We live in an age of modern technology, modern conveniences and modern medicine. We have solutions to many problems, and sometimes just lack the desire to do much with what we have. If you check in with how your mind is doing, what is it telling you? Do you feel like you need to make some changes?

The counseling center on campus is free to students. If you ever feel the need to utilize these services, there are so many options available to get more help if needed, with no shame involved.

If you want to get your body moving but winter weather is in the way, head to the (also free) Wellness Center on campus! Not sure where to start? They offer GroupFit classes where you can work out with other students, with a variety of different fitness methods available. There is a LiftOff class a few times a semester that gives the basics for weightlifting if you are unsure where to start. They also offer personal trainers for a small fee.

If your mental health is in a rough spot, you are definitely not alone. You might need some extra professional help, but there are also ways to help improve on your own. Remember that you can and should absolutely make the time to rest and recharge, but also remember to set goals and accomplish pieces that can help your brain. It takes a lot of moving pieces to make a whole person, and small steps are always a great place to start. Remember: the first step is always the hardest.