Beginning university is an extreme change for many students in North America. Adjusting to the new responsibility of independence is a large task. The pressures to succeed, live independently, meet new people, and budget properly are, at times, overwhelming. This pressure (that I know well) has inspired me to choose mental health as a topic area for my term project.
Mental health is an increasing issue among college and university students because the pressure of many changes and expectations affects them mentally, physically and emotionally. Many are unable to properly deal with the burden and often resort to violent means of coping with the stress. Most students are uneducated on the topic of mental health and therefore, are unable to recognize and deal with the problem effectively. Substance abuse, self-mutilation, suicide and assault are all violent ways of dealing with depression. Seeing as depression is the mental health disorder that college students most experience and the percentage of students diagnosed with depression has increased 56% over a five year period (ACHA, 2009), this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. On a personal level, this topic is important because mental health issues among family and friends, have affected my life greatly. Many students enrolling in post-secondary are uneducated on mental illness and unaware they are susceptible. This is why I plan to focus on mental health among students. The constant struggle involving depression often goes unnoticed. As more and more students enroll in post-secondary, the education surrounding mental health needs to change.
For this project, I plan to focus on my own mental health, in hopes of determining whether or not this method is effective. My inspiration is collaboration between The Book of Awesome (http://1000awesomethings.com/) by Neil Pasricha and The Happiness Project (http://www.happiness-project.com/) by Susan Cain. In both of these books, the authors decide to focus on the positive aspects of their life in order to achieve true happiness. It is easy to be consumed in the negative events occurring around the world and in our personal lives. Throughout my time as a University student, I have noticed a significant change in my attitude and behavior. Instead of being the laid back, fun, easy-going person I once was, I find myself being irritable, upset, and stressed too often for my liking. This is NOT how I envisioned my University experience and I am determined to change this way of thinking. I have decided, much like Pasricha and Cain, to focus on the positives in my life, the moments I wish to remember with the people who make me smile. Starting small (in order to not overwhelm myself), for the month of March I will spend one hour a day doing something that makes ME happy. Not something my parents ask me to do, not something my friends want to do and not something I am required to do for school (other than this project of course). If I decide for that hour that I want to do nothing at all, then I will blog about a person, place, or thing that makes my life awesome, something or someone that I am thankful for. I hope this project will not only make me a happier person but also prove that my life is awesome.
I am hoping this project will teach me a new way to cope with anger, sadness or stress. Through this project, I hope to gain further knowledge on other mental health methods and educate those around me. I am confident my family members and friends will be interested in this method and I know they will be eager to read my blog. It is my hope that through reading this blog, they will become inspired to take time to focus on their own mental health. Many do not realize mental health should be exercised. It does not matter if you do or do not suffer from a mental illness, it is important to take time to relax, be positive and do something that makes YOU happy. Suicide, self-mutilation and substance abuse are three of the most violent acts one can do to their own body. Often when I hear the word ‘violence’ I imagine an altercation between two people. My larger reason for engaging in this project is to change this image and help people understand that violence to one’s self is equally harmful. My ultimate goal for the project is to change the attitudes and opinions of those around me. By providing information and gaining knowledge, I hope to never lose a friend, family member, or fellow student because of mental illness.
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