Full Circle Part 11/12: Keeping Your Head on Straight

Some days you just won’t feel 100%.

Mental health is a prevailing challenge facing today’s society. We doubt any of us would challenge this statement. We all wake up some days not feeling our best, challenged by the surmounting pressures facing our generation specifically.

College is no safe haven from this reality, but you’re not out of luck when it comes to combating those feelings. Today, we’re diving into mental health.

High school seemed like it would be the most difficult four years mentally. It required balancing friendships, first relationships, and of course keeping your grades up to get into the college you wanted most. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, college alleviates none of these challenges. You’re managing all of the same, but replace trying to get into college with getting that job or internship.

Mental health has become an increasingly covered topic in the media, and echoes through conversations in our lives. Society demands us to increasingly be on our toes and pushes us to consistently improve our “value”. This is hard, and it takes a toll on you.

Months of dining hall food, stressful friendships, and challenging courses add up quickly and leave you with a full plate. One study reported that 60% of college students met the criteria of at least one mental health problem. Sure statistics aren’t everything, but that’s saying three out of every five people you know have something going on behind the scenes.

Fortunately for us, the problem has been somewhat realized. Many schools offer mental health services for their students, and help is out there more than ever before. The stigma is in many ways fading. But what about beyond college? Managing your mind is a lifelong game, as are most of the topics we’ve covered in this newsletter.

We’ve been to too many events where they cover imposter syndrome and burnout. You’re reaffirmed that many have been in your shoes before, and that you have to push through! Unfortunately, as you can guess, it’s more complicated than that.

In Part #5, we talked about living in the generation of social media, being bombarded with lifestyles out of our reach. Whether it’s a day-in-the-life, or a clip from a school you wish you’d went to, there’s so much out there to make you feel less than you actually are.

So instead, let’s dive into some ways to keep your head on straight for the next four years. Overall wellness can be broken into three spheres of mental, physical, and spiritual health. Each is important in their own right, but without the other two you’ll never be functioning at 100%. Think of your body and mind like a machine, to get it working efficiently there are countless moving parts to align.

We’ve covered throughout past newsletters the importance of getting involved at your school, meeting people, and trying things you haven’t before. We dove into it deeply in Part #6 regarding building your personal brand.

We’ll refrain from repeating ourselves over and over, but here’s the gist: Everyone else on campus also came in only knowing a few people. Just like a network, friendships don’t spawn overnight. Some of the responsibility is on you to get up, get out, and create situations where you’ll meet new people or find new things that interest you.

We’d go as far as to argue that the social aspect of mental health goes beyond just social interactions. Getting outside of your dorm room and simply being present can help ground your campus as your new home. Bouncing between your dorm room and lecture halls repeatedly each week is a surefire way to drive yourself mad. Breaking the monotony and people you typically see is one way to get out of your own head.

Another underrated aspect of mental health is a sense of togetherness often lost on us. As you walk around campus you’ll probably see hundreds of people with Airpods in, all listening to their own playlists. Some people don’t even take them out when they order their coffee; don’t be that person. Having a conversation with someone you bump into, the barista at the counter, or saying hello to the librarian as you walk by can improve your day more than you know.

On a different note, let’s talk about exercise. No, it doesn’t have to be lifting weights six times a week or running a marathon (or maybe it is). Exercise releases endorphins and serotonin, relieving stress and improving mood concurrently. On top of this there are social benefits to getting involved in a club or intramural sports team.

Diet is the other piece of that physical sphere of wellness mentioned earlier. “You are what you eat” is wholeheartedly true. Dining halls are great but can lack a lot of healthy options to keep you feeling 100%. Making slight changes in your diet with more whole ingredients can make you feel better all around.

Like most things, mental health is not something you can game. There’s no one-size-fits-all way to optimize it, and it’s not something you can wake up and decide you will fix. It’s about consistency and care in building good habits.

One thing that certainly won’t help your mental health is hyper-fixating on improving it. Take rest as much as you need to relax (see burnout in Part #9). After all, the entire purpose of improving your mental health is to appreciate the highs, but also to be okay with the lows.

Enough concepts, here’s how we keep our heads on straight:

Sam: I think the key to mental health has been recognizing how I recharge and reset. For me, it comes from sitting on the couch with friends. I’ve made it a point to make different locations serve different purposes, and the couch is meant for relaxing. Rarely do I have my laptop out on the couch unless it’s very mindless work; places like my desk and the library are reserved for work. The couch is meant for watching sports, new TV shows and movies, and discussion.

Sharing a meal with friends is another way that I reset and stay sane. I’m a huge foodie, so whether that means cooking “family” dinner or trying a new restaurant in town, I do my best to share a meal with people whenever I can. Considering it’s March, I can’t help but reference the famous Dennis Clifford interview from 2016 when asked what he was going to take away as his best memory from playing basketball at Boston College after their loss to Florida in the ACC tournament, ending their season.

Clifford broke down and responded: “Probably just like, going out to eat,” and as my college career comes to a close, I couldn’t relate more.

Jon: The past four years have been a mental roller coaster of FOMO, stress, and imposter syndrome. I like to think that naturally I’m good at challenging these feelings in my brain, and never allowing myself to fall victim to intrusive thoughts unproductive to my lifestyle. I would say I take a more holistic approach to my mental health. The most important thing for me is to feel grounded where I am. I take out my Airpods while I’m walking, talk to the cashier every chance I get, and really just try to exist in the space I’m in. I’ve had almost zero social media since the start of this year, which has given me more time to think. I’ve withdrawn from the 24-hour news cycle, and really only read the news once a day to catch up on what’s going on in the world.

Towards the end of the fall of my junior year, I had a lot of stress around finding an internship. I told myself I’d find one, but couldn’t find anything I felt was right for me. Reflecting on those times the path made sense… It’s easy to get lost in the current feeling of not having something or wanting something, but in the grand scheme of things you’ll usually be alright. On top of this, I attribute at least some part of my sanity to refusing to try not to compare myself to others. It’s hard, I’ll say it, but the saying “comparison is the thief of joy” is completely accurate.

It’s hard to believe that this is the 11th edition of this newsletter. We fleshed out this idea at the beginning of this year. We have little previous writing experience, and no credibility to be writing on much beyond our experience over the past couple years of our lives.

On the surface this seems unrelated, but when you take a closer look it’s reall not: The imposter syndrome around putting ourselves out there to write was not solved by taking a writing class, but by facing it head on and giving it a go.

We challenge you to take that same approach in the projects you take on. We’ll see you back here next week for the final part, where we discuss our key takeaways from four years in college.