Seeking out therapy as a means of working through any problems, anxieties, and hardships is a good decision at any point in life. Still, it is crucial to ask for help in times like these – times when we may be distant from loved ones or miss out on the parts of life we enjoy the most.
The Importance of Counseling for College Students During the Pandemic
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Fortunately, licensed online mental health therapy and counseling platforms, like MyTherapist at https://www.mytherapist.com/
Being a Student During the Pandemic: What’s It Like?
For college students, finding a good balance between school work and mental health can be imperative to an individual’s emotional wellbeing.
While parents, teachers, and supervisors perhaps claim to understand what it is like to be in your shoes, no one in our lifetime has been a college student during a pandemic.
It is hard, it is confusing, it is stressful, and that is okay. With the proper assistance, you can begin to take control of your mental health and balance all of the challenges that come along with your new reality.
Online Classes
Switching from in-person classes to online classes can present an array of difficulties for even the most adaptable of students.
For starters, many majors that rely on being in person – such as musical theatre, fine arts, pre-med, lab-sciences, and fashion design – have to completely reimagine how to structure both the classes and the program overall.
Even once the instructors have overcome these obstacles, many students are not accustomed to learning virtually and can therefore begin to fall behind.
Even subjects like math and foreign language can be much more difficult – an online platform can make it challenging to provide individual assistance for students who need it.
For students that are not as good at time management or holding themselves accountable to attend classes, the switch to online learning can be that much more difficult.
While completing average school work and staying on track might once have seemed easy, switching to a virtual learning style can be a challenge for students of all ages and levels.
Seeing Friends
Another noteworthy difference for college students during the pandemic is the inability to see friends.
While some students might live communally and have the option to interact face-to-face, many students are still deprived of the social interaction that they experienced in the past.
A lack of social interaction, while temporary, can have a severe impact on your mental health.
Additionally, some students might feel peer pressured to go outside their comfort zone and interact with strangers despite CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) warnings.
Navigating this pressure from other students can be difficult to manage alone.
Concern for the Future
Likely the looming factor on every college student’s mind is a concern for the future. As young professionals ready to begin a career in a scarce, lacklustre job market, fear of getting a job is entirely understandable.
With job availability still at a low and competition at a high, it is natural for self-doubt to creep in.
While asking for professional guidance for career purposes is appropriate and will help you stay productive, receiving tandem mental health guidance will help you work through these fears and find internal reassurance that you are doing what you can to feel your best.
How Counseling Can Help
Although there is no crystal ball to predict what the future might bring, deciding to seek counseling as a college student can be the first step towards creating a solid foundation in your personal life and professional life.
With this foundation learned in your young adulthood, you can carry these strengths and values into the “real world” with confidence that you are doing the necessary work to be whoever you want to be.
Counselling can also help you develop healthy coping mechanisms, emotional and mindfulness skills, and goals specific to your concerns.
In a time with so little contact with others, so little opportunity to explore, and such high levels of stress, seeking the help you deserve is more necessary than ever. College is already stressful enough, after all!
