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Sometimes the multitude of
life’s changes that occur during your college years can trigger serious depression. At
this vulnerable time, the smartest thing you can do for yourself is to seek
help. If your feelings of constant stress and sadness go on for weeks or
months, you may be experiencing more than just difficulty adjusting to life’s
changes. Seek assistance from a doctor or mental health professional, the
university counseling service, or the student health center. While in treatment,
there are a number of steps you can take to help you cope on your way
to recovery.
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Carefully plan your day. Make time every day to prioritize
your work. Prioritizing can give you a sense of control over what
you must do and a sense that you can do it.
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Plan your work and sleep schedules. Too many students
defer doing important class work until nighttime, work through
much of the night, and start every day feeling exhausted. Constant
fatigue can be a critical trigger for depression. Seven or eight
hours of sleep a night is important to your well- being.
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Participate in an extracurricular activity. Sports, theater,
fraternities and sororities, the student newspaper – whatever interests
you – can bring opportunities to meet people interested in the
same things you are, and these activities provide welcome change
from class work.
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Seek support from other people. This may be a roommate
or a friend from class. Friendships can help make a strange place
feel more friendly and comfortable. Sharing your emotions reduces
isolation and helps you realize that you are not alone.
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Try relaxation methods. These include meditation, deep
breathing, warm baths, long walks, exercise – whatever you enjoy
that lessens your feelings of stress and discomfort.
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Take time for yourself every day. Make special time for
yourself – even if it’s only for 15 minutes a day. Focusing on
yourself can be energizing and gives you a feeling of purpose and
control over your life.
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Work towards recovery. The most important step
in combating depression and reclaiming your college experience
is to seek treatment. Your physician should communicate to you
that remission of symptoms should be your goal and work with you
to determine whether psychological counseling, medication or a
combination of both treatments is needed.
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