Self-Care Strategies For College Students: Prioritizing Mental Health with Online Therapy In Maryland
College students can benefit from self-care skills, and from online therapy in Maryland.
As a therapist providing online therapy in Maryland, I see daily how useful it is to have flexibility and options for mental health support for all individuals, especially college students. Students lead busy lives and don’t always have a predictable day-to-day or week-to-week schedule. A variety of self-care strategies and opportunities for support can help students coping with an especially stressful time or ongoing mental health concerns.
Self-care and wisely accessing support as needed are essential skills for college students as they increase their independence and self-reliance. In high school, parents may have taken the lead in anticipating support needs, scheduling appointments, setting limits on higher risk behaviors or suggesting problem solving ideas. College students are taking the baton and carrying it themselves for the next leg of their journey in life.
Understanding mental health in college
Everyone that has a brain has mental health. Mental health is our emotional, social and psychological wellbeing and impacts how we feel, act, think and interact with others. Taking good care of our mental health is for everyone, not just for folks that are dealing with mental health disorders. We all need to know how to soothe ourselves in the face of disappointment, manage our stress so that we don’t experience negative consequences from it in our bodies or relationships, and work with our emotions so that they don’t unduly interfere with our ability to get done the things we need to do. Not everyone is taught how to do all these things by the time they head off to college and it’s ok to need support or skill building around this.
According to the American College Health Association (ACHA), 60% of college students nationwide are affected by anxiety and approximately 40% of college students have experienced symptoms of depression, with 11% of students diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Other common areas of mental health concerns for college students include stress, substance abuse and suicide. Good self-care strategies and effective support can go a long way to helping students manage mental health concerns so they can continue to grow and thrive.
Self-care Strategies For College Students
Self-care is important for all college students to help manage stress.
Prioritize Physical Health: Taking care of your physical health is essential to managing your mental health. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and sufficient sleep are the foundations for wellbeing. It is hard to feel well regulated when those basic needs aren’t reasonably met. Nobody functions well on a poor diet and sleep deficit. Nobody is going to tell you that you need to eat some produce, drink some water and get to bed at a decent hour. It’s on you now to make yourself a priority.
Have A Routine: Things aren’t always exactly the same week to week with a college schedule but having a basic routine that offers some structure and stability can help reduce stress and offer some feeling of control over your own life. It doesn’t have to be a rigid schedule, but having some consistency with sleep, meals, activities and connecting with others can be really helpful. Brains relax a bit when they know what to expect so brains love routines.
Practice Mindfulness: Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for mood regulation. These practices can help you stay present, reduce ruminating or racing thoughts, and alleviate stress. Consider incorporating mindfulness exercises into your daily routine, even if it's just a few minutes of deep breathing or a quick check in with yourself. Willing to invest even just 5 minutes to give it a try? Check out the recording on this post about the Cylinder Breath Technique. Or this one to mindfully check in with yourself.
ONLIne therapy Maryland: How it works
Online therapy in Maryland is available for Terps & all students in the state.
Prior to 2020, online therapy in Maryland wasn’t super common. You had to get to the therapist’s office to meet with them. A global pandemic makes for a powerful incentive to learn new things, real quick. After a few bumps getting started, it turned out that online therapy was very effective and efficient for getting people the support they needed.
Secure video platforms are used to protect confidentiality and digital privacy. Online therapy sessions are easy to access, with a click on a link to the digital waiting room, at your scheduled appointment time. All you need is a private space and a digital device.
Therapy can be an effective support for college students, whether it takes place in-person or online. Some students really enjoy coming into the therapy office. But many find that the flexibility of online therapy works well with their schedule, since it eliminates the time it takes to get to and from a therapy office. It’s also helpful for finding a therapist that is a good fit because students then have the option of connecting with any therapist licensed in their state. Sometimes the therapist that’s the best fit for you, with their experience, style or personality, might not be the one closest to you. Online therapy allows for a wider pool of providers to be available for college students seeking the right person to work with them.
Prioritize Your Mental Health today
Remember that everyone has a brain, so everyone has mental health. Take good care of yours today and everyday. We can’t show up at the dentist after not brushing our teeth for six months and expect our teeth to be in great condition. Make an effort each day to employ self-care strategies to manage stress and care for your mental health. On a nice day, spend time socializing by taking a walk with a friend. Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand so get some good rest and eat some nutritious food. Once in a while, try new ways to take a mini break with a mindfulness or relaxation activity. Spend time with people that lift you up and if you need extra support, reach out for professional help.
A free consultation For Online Therapy Maryland
If you are looking for extra support to supplement self-care strategies, please reach out. I see folks for therapy in College Park, MD and offer online therapy in Maryland. You can explore more information about my services throughout the website. Feel free to contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation.
