The Health Series: How to Protect Your Mental Health as a College Woman

(Content warning: This article briefly mentions suicide and eating disorders.)

Did you know that nationally, suicide is the #2 leading cause of death amongst college students? 40% of college students know of someone who has attempted suicide and due to the growing number of attempts, researchers have come to the factual realization that women in college are two to three times more at risk of attempting suicide.

September is Suicide Prevention Month and as college students, shouldn’t we all be taking this time to recognize the utter importance of maintaining our mental health? College is one of the most difficult times to get through mentally due to a number of different reasons.

So, in honor of Suicide Prevention Month and my stride to help improve the mental health of young women enrolled at colleges/universities, I’ve decided to create a list of actions that young women (and even men) can take to work towards the improvement and protection of their mental health.

1. Put That Phone Down, Girl!

Too much social media can have harsh effects on women in terms of their body image. In an article titled Social media effects on body image and eating disorders, by Bella Fleps (Illinois State University) she states that “social media is unfortunately shaping our concept of beauty.” As young women, it is possible to become influenced heavily by other women and the way they look, primarily through social media. Once the attention that one girl gets from looking a certain way is noticed, it’s common that we too try and shape one’s self to look similar to gain that same attention.

However, there are major issues that can come with focusing too much on achieving a certain image. Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, can come into play when a young woman decides to take on the challenge of achieving that “slim” look that she sees on the media, but in an extreme way. This specific eating disorder is characterized by severe weight-loss due to the rejection of food due to the fear of gaining weight. So, ladies, put down those phones and give yourself a break so that you can take that time to love the skin you’re in!

2)  Ma’am, Break Those Ties!

If there’s one thing that can be learned over the years, it’s that people can certainly stress other people out. Including toxic people in your life can cause a strain on a person mentally. If you can’t define what a toxic person is by now, let me give you my own straightforward definition: it’s the type of person that spreads negativity and dislike for others for no apparent or valid reason. In a neuroscience study titled Do Words Hurt? (Maria Richter et al, 2010), scientists studied subjects’ brain responses to negative words on an auditory and imagined level and were able to conclude that these negative words do release hormones induced by anxiety and stress. 

When negative words and actions come from a person that’s closest to you, it can be absorbed into your mind almost like water seeps into a sponge. It’s also important to remember that you can easily become influenced to behave in the manner of the people that you choose to hang around if you stick around them long enough. Block, decline, run away, love! Do whatever you have to do to release those people from your life that kill your peace. You deserve to live your life happy, content, and drama free.

3)  Major Key: Meditation!

That’s right ladies, I said “whoosah!” Traditionally, meditation is the practice of sitting still while gearing your attention on something specific, like a goal you may have. However, it is indeed the year of 2022 and society no longer deems meditation as just sitting on the floor in the middle of a yoga mat like the great statue of Buddha while thinking positive thoughts. People can meditate while going for a walk in the park or get up early in the morning and meditate while running miles on a treadmill at the gym, everyone has a different way that they’d like to enjoy it. 

Now, how can your mental health benefit from meditation? Well, it can promote stress relief through the relaxation of your mind and body, help you train your attention away from negative thoughts, improve your discipline when you make it a habit, and improve your emotional regulation by shunning out your negative thoughts and embracing the positive.

4)  Create Balance (No PH)! 

Create a schedule you can benefit from. Balancing school, work life, family, and social life can be a challenge because they’re all stressful to deal with. According to an article titled Stress, cortisol and suicide risk (Daryl B O’ Connor et al), there are many different models that prove different reasoning for suicidal tendencies, and central to many of those models is a stress-diathesis component which states that “suicidal behavior is the result of an interaction between acutely stressful events and a susceptibility to suicidal behavior.” One thing you can do to decrease the stress levels in your daily life is create an effective schedule for yourself so that you can be less frantic and more organized.

Doing this will also take away that overwhelmed feeling that comes with a jam-packed day. Don’t let disorganization plunge you into a dark hole, ! Set some reminders, post some sticky notes, or buy a manual planner so that you’ll be able to balance your day in a stress-free way! 

5)  Show Yourself G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E! 

Self-appreciation can go a long way. There are times in life, especially in college, where there is a common feeling amongst women of not “doing enough.” A lot of women are overly focused on maintaining and managing everything in our life all at once and without help, so it’s forgotten to show appreciation to one’s self  for all that is accomplished and continuing to be accomplish. A lot of young women also hesitate to do something nice for themselves because their could be a wait for someone else to do it.. 

In an article titled Mental Health Is… Gratitude by University of Colorado, it is mentioned that “practicing gratitude can be an effective way to manage and reduce stress, improve our mood and foster optimism. ” In simpler terms, once you start to treat yourself better, you’ll start to feel better.  Don’t you wait for that man! You can’t show love or appreciation to anyone else until you start with Y-O-U.

Protecting your mental health as a young woman can be far harder than one might think, especially with the stressful events that go on in the world. The steps listed above may seem small, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be effective. If you’re a young lady struggling with maintaining your mental health and you feel it’s possible for you to help yourself, you should try your best to utilize these actions whenever needed.

If you’re a young lady who’s having suicidal thoughts or knows of someone having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. 

• college mental health
• health
• mental health
• suicide prevention month
• women