Concerns

There are times in life that may cause feelings of nervousness. But sometimes, if these feelings do not go away, you may be experiencing anxiety. Do you…

• worry more often than not throughout the day?
• experience feelings of restlessness and difficulty concentrating?
• have disruptions in your sleep schedule, such as difficulty falling asleep?
• avoid situations that cause an increase in anxiety?

There are different types of anxiety such as specific phobias, social anxiety, or generalized anxiety. If you are experiencing symptoms that are impeding your daily functioning, you might consider seeking additional help.

It is normal to experience periods of sadness or grief. Sometimes this can increase to the point of becoming disruptive to your normal functioning. Are you experiencing…

• loss of interest in activities?
• over or under sleeping, hopelessness?
• changes in appetite?
• or negative thoughts towards yourself?

These might be a sign to seek further help through counseling.

Throughout life, our bodies go through many changes. College can be a stressful time trying to manage heavy workloads and stress. With all of this going on it is easy for eating habits to get out of control. Disordered eating can look different for everyone from healthy eating choices that become excessive, to restricting or purging behaviors, to overeating. This often involves a lot of thought and time spent focusing on food or body image throughout the day. There are three main types of disordered eating that you may be experiencing:

Anorexia

• Fear of gaining weight
• Negative body image
• Restrictive diet

Bulimia

• Eating to the point of discomfort
• Purging after eating

Binge Eating

• Eating to the point of discomfort
• Self-disgust after overeating

Disordered eating can become life-threatening if not treated by a team of professionals. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, please do not hesitate to seek help from a professional.

Discrimination involves the unfair or violent treatment of others based on characteristics or stereotypes. You might be experiencing discrimination of race, gender, sexuality, or religion, for example, which can have significant impacts on your well-being. This might look like controlling behaviors from others, hate speech, physical violence, educational limitations, or employment issues to name a few areas that may be impacted by discrimination.

Learn more about it here.

Grieving doesn’t only occur for deaths; the grieving process can occur with any loss in your life.

It is normal to feel sad or angry due to a loss in your life. The grieving process can look different for everyone. There may be times when grief becomes prolonged and interrupts normal functioning. Processing a loss is a very personal experience. If you feel as though it is inhibiting your daily functioning it might be beneficial to seek further assistance through counseling.

Learn more about it here.

College is a major time of change. This can impact friendships, family dynamics, romantic relationships, and general social life. It is common to experience difficulty transitioning to new environments, new people, and new routines. Sometimes these changes can be overwhelming to navigate alone and talking about it with someone you trust may be beneficial.

If you are experiencing a relationship (with a parent, partner, friendship, etc) where you feel unsafe physically or sexually, controlled, belittled, or manipulated these may be a sign of an abusive relationship. Seeking help from a trusted person, a professional i. e. a counselor, or a hotline may be beneficial.

Hotlines

Stressful events can lead to many individuals seeking out substances as a way to cope with their hardships. While some of these substances are normalized in our society, the effects of these substances can dramatically alter your well-being. If you are using…

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Marijuana
• Nicotine
• Opioids
• Other substances

…and are noticing an impact in your daily functioning, you might consider seeking out mental health and/or substance abuse specialists.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline – 1(800)273-8255 or dial 988

If you or someone you care about are having thoughts of suicide, there is help for you! Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline to be connected to a suicide prevention specialist. If you are concerned that you or the individual require immediate assistance, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.

Some possible warning signs of suicidal behaviors to watch for include, but are not limited to:

• A sense of hopelessness
• Impulsive or dangerous behaviors
• Self-harm
• A past history of trauma or abuse
• Gifting valuable personal items to others
• Job or financial loss
• Social isolation
• Talking about death
• Sleeping too much or little
• Extreme rage

For more information, visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website.

College is a time of growth and discovery. Sometimes this may shed new light on parts of your life that you may not have realized the impact of at the time. Trauma involves any experience that overwhelms your system and abilities to cope or makes your world feel unsafe. This may include physical, sexual, emotional, and/or psychological aspects and can negatively impact your well-being.

You may have heard of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in connection to war veterans, but PTSD can be experienced by anyone that has been impacted by a traumatic event. This may look like nightmares/flashbacks, hypervigilance, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and changes in mood. Although these may be common symptoms, you do not have to have PTSD to have experienced trauma and to seek further professional help.

Certain activities that are normalized in our society may be harmful to a person’s well-being when used in excess. Sometimes this looks like having difficulty completing tasks on time, engaging in meaningful relationships, and/or feeling unsatisfied in most other aspects of daily life to name a few. Possible concerning behaviors may include but are not limited to…

• gambling
• internet
• social media
• sex/pornography
• shopping

If you are engaged in these behaviors and have noticed any negative impact to your life, you might consider seeking further assistance through counseling and/or accountability partners.