MENTAL HEALTH

UNDERSTAND
MENTAL HEALTH
In college, it’s easy to feel like a little fish in a
big pond. Even when you’re surrounded by
people all the time, you may find yourself
feeling lonely in college, especially if your
semester is busy and stressful, your friends
start to pair off during cuffing season, or
your family is miles away
THAT IT HAPPENS
TO EVERYONE
Although your emotions are unique to your
own experience, loneliness is a feeling
everyone goes through at some point.
According to a 2020 report from the
American Psychological Association (APA),
Gen Z was the most common group to report
feelings of depression and loneliness over
the past year. This comes as no surprise —
especially given the implications of the
pandemic

ACKNOWLEDGE
WHAT YOU’RE
FEELING SHIFT YOUR
MINDSET
Loneliness may be prevalent on college
campuses, but it doesn’t have to define your
It’s easy to let your emotions overwhelm you
entire college experience. Also, don’t try to
and distort your perspective, especially
minimize what you’re going through or tell
when you’re feeling down. When this
yourself, “it’s not that bad.” According to Dr.
happens, loneliness can take a hold on your
Kachorek, that can actually have the
life and prevent you from being yourself.
opposite effect, because you might feel more
alienated or that your situation doesn’t
deserve the attention or care that you do, in
fact, deserve.

START MEETING NEW

PEOPLE
If you’re a busy college student, chances are, you’re used to going
through the motions: go to class, study, come home, sleep, and
repeat. What if you mixed up your routine? Next time you sit down
for a lecture, strike up a conversation with whoever’s sitting near
you. Ask her about an upcoming assignment, how she thought the
homework went, or anything else that comes to mind.