Whether it’s stress, anxiety, or depression, everyone has experienced some level of bad mental health. 

Bad mental health can be interpreted in many different ways. In recent years, anxiety and depression have been on the rise; many speculate that it is a result of social media and new societal norms. I interviewed some of my friends about their opinions on mental health. They had slightly different interpretations on good mental health, but came to a consensus that stress is a main cause of bad mental health. 

“Good mental health is having peace of mind in where you are in all aspects of life,” Emily Hayburn (freshman) said. “While bad mental health is over-stressing and working yourself too hard without taking time to relax and take care of yourself.”

Today, college students are put under a tremendous amount of stress from school. Professors push loads of work on their students with strict due dates and at a prestigious school like the University of Delaware, many students compete with one another in the classroom and take great pride in their grades. While completing school work and meeting deadlines is a very important aspect to the college lifestyle, so is self-care. School work and the stress that comes with it can easily make someone forget about their own mental health. 

“School has heightened my stress and has made me put important things, like sleep and time with friends, on hold,” Kyrsten Lambrose (freshman) said.

As the semester gets into full swing, many students will be affected by stress. The University of Delaware has resources, like counselling, to help students talk about, and overcome, their problems. 

“…bad mental health is something a person will experience at least one time in their life,” Brian Chung (freshman) said. “Whether the cause of bad mental health is personal, physical or not related to yourself, it is something people have a hard time pushing past. It is, however, treatable with the right resources.”