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Let's Talk About Mental Health

It’s bright and early in the morning, the world is quiet, and your chest feels heavy while your mind just can’t seem to stop racing. You're not sure whether to look up your symptoms or sleep through it; meanwhile your mind is in utter panic.

Does this sound familiar to you?

If so, please know that you are not alone. According to the World Health Organization, “more than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders.” They speak about how mental health conditions ranging from anxiety to depression being prevalent in many other communities, spanning every age group. Year after year I kept telling myself that what I was feeling was normal, a simple reflection of stress, nerves, or just being sensitive. The truth of the matter is, mental health is more than a diagnosis. It involves thoughts, feelings, actions, and coping with life's battles. Many people are dealing with these mental health struggles in complete silence. You feel as if you are isolated and trapped inside your own mind. You do not have to deal with this battle alone.

The Real Real: What Does Mental Health Mean?

We hear the phrase “mental health” practically everywhere. TikTok, in class, and even in our daily conversations. Yet, what does mental health truly mean though, in our day-to-day lives? Have you ever actually stopped to ask yourself, what does this phrase really mean?

The National Institute of Mental Health describes mental health as our “emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is more than the absence of a mental illness—it’s essential to your overall health and quality of life.” This can serve as an eye-opener that mental health means more than just the absence of mental illness; rather, it encapsulates resilience, connection, and balance.

For college students, this balance is not as easy as it sounds. With concerns like deadlines approaching, uncertainty about our future, and social comparison, which is fueled by social media, this can feel virtually impossible. For many, including myself at one point, it's not just about keeping grades up but rather trying to maintain mental stability in a world that demands constant productivity.

This pressure that students deal with on a daily basis can even take place outside of the classroom. Some juggle two or even three jobs while still being considered a full-time student. Likewise, others rush from the night shift to their early morning lecture leaving little to no time for themselves. With this constant hustle, the mind isn’t able to recover, which affects people both mentally and physically. Mental Health America explains that “about half of full-time college students have jobs outside of school.” With the number increasing to 80% for part-time students. This can create very high levels of unnecessary stress, which in return can decrease our mental well-being.

Some common pressures that college students deal with daily include:

• Balancing full time classes with long working hours

• Financial stress from tuition and personal expenses

• Lack of sleep due to late night studying or early work hours

So that sparks the question, how can I as a college student manage mental health while juggling all these responsibilities?

Mayo Clinic expressed that job burnout is a type of stress directly related to work. There are various ways, however, that you can control the stress. Mayo Clinic suggests that sleep, mindfulness, exercise, support, and relaxing activities can all improve mental health and job burnout. When I asked Brian Drelicharz, an adolescent and adult psychotherapist, for his description of mental health in simple terms, he said: “Mental health, just like physical health, is something people need to maintain in order to function effectively.”

“Knowing how our brains work and where our emotions come from—that’s good knowledge for everyone to have. Some people just need more support than others.” When Drelicharz mentioned the idea of “knowing how your brain works,” it really stuck with me. It is not about being ill, different, or broken, but rather about learning how you and how your brain works.

Overlooked Challenges - When “Functioning” Doesn’t Mean “Fine”

Mental health doesn't always look like what we pictured. It doesn’t always involve actions such as missed class, isolated crying, or lonely feelings. Sometimes the feelings can be subtle, such as a disappearance of motivation or loss of interest in things you once loved to do. Sometimes you may feel that you are constantly “off,” but do not know why.

Individuals struggling with mental health can look like the ones who smile everyday, and the ones who make you laugh and seem like the happiest individual in the room. Mental health does not always involve staying in bed, missing classes, or isolated crying. Mental health does not have a specific “look”, which is why it is important that we do not judge others or invalidate ourselves. The feelings can be subtle, such as losing motivation or interest in things that you once loved.

The truth of the matter is that many people appear to be “functioning,” but that does not always mean the individual is okay. Charlotte Behavioral Health Care explains that functioning can range from normal to severe impairment, and those who may seem fine on the outside may be experiencing internal struggles that affect their abilities to care for themselves. This acts as a reminder that you can show up, be present, and do what's expected, even though you are fighting an internal battle that nobody can see, and only you can feel.

Below are some indicators that are often overlooked that could mean something more serious is happening:

• Frustration at the smallest things

• Detaching from Family and Friends

• “Functioning without functioning”—doing everyday tasks, but empty on the inside

• Brain fog

• Forgetfulness

• Loss of Motivation

As Lily Harrison, a mental health professional who works in mobile crisis response, explained to me, “If someone notices a difference in their ability to function, whether that’s sleeping too much, not eating, or not finding joy in things that used to matter, that’s often a sign to check in with yourself.” Harrison went on to explain the misconception about mental health professionals, which is that they “don’t understand what it’s like.” Harrison explained during my interview that many mental health professionals have “lived through some of these struggles at one point too.” To me, this is reassurance that the experts, even if they aren’t going through the exact thing I'm going through, can understand the struggle. Harrison speaking about how mental health experts “are not always just textbook readers” truly stood out to me, as real-life examples can truly strengthen their assistance in the mental health field.