By Jordan Green, Editor-in-Chief
Can even a forced laugh make your day better?
It can, says Northwestern counselor Taylor Wilson, and it’s one of several tips offered to students during an Aug. 31 mental health discussion in the Student Center Ranger Room.
Wilson, the director of the university’s counseling and career services programs, spoke about how students can care for their mental health during college. Her presentation was titled “Mental Health Awareness & How It Applies to You,” and it focused on strategies students can use to promote their self-care, such as taking a break from daily tasks, spending time in nature, hanging out with close friends and getting proper amounts of rest.
“I feel like self-care is very important for college students because it kind of refuels your tank,” Wilson said. “College kind of drains you. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s going to be hard to get your work done, go to class and be successful.”
Laughter was just one of the tips offered. To demonstrate how laughter can be contagious and helpful, Tosh Miller, who oversees the TRIO Student Support Services grant, walked to the front of the room and gave a hearty laugh. Students in the room laughed in reply.
Another way to help elicit laughter on a down day, Wilson said, is to watch internet videos of laugh yoga.
“It’s a real thing,” Wilson said.
Wilson asked students several questions during the event about how students care for themselves presently. Students then responded with several tips and tricks they’ve picked up through the years.
Using to-do lists to stay organized, and then crossing off completed tasks, was suggested as a way to help students be more prepared for and less anxious about upcoming chores.
Students also flipped through literature regarding depression, anxiety and other mental health issues college students sometimes face.
Junior psychology major Fernando Nunez said the seminar provided him with valuable information about caring for himself.
“I learned that there’s a lot of things I need to work on,” Nunez said. “I realized … how common it is for college students to have anxiety, and it was very eye-opening. I definitely needed to come here.”
Nick Castillo, a junior business administration major, echoed those sentiments.
“I learned to take care of myself and do a mental check-list,” Castillo said. “That means setting up smart goals that are specific and achievable.”
Castillo added that he’ll take more time for himself.
“Some of the things that I would like to incorporate would be to get out more with friends, spend more quality time with them, possibly build new relationships with new people, kind of develop my spiritual side and see where that takes me as well, and just dive into new areas I never thought I would go into intellectually.”
Students at Northwestern can obtain free counseling services. Students can schedule a counseling appointment and learn more by visiting the university’s website, https://www.nwosu.edu/student-services/counseling.