The adverse negative effect stress has on students, especially university students could not be exaggerated. As students, a lot of times we have felt our energy drain, our souls leave our bodies with every drop of sweat that drips from our brows or the deep sighs that escape our breath while trailing and dragging backpacks to get to the next class to piece together fragments of knowledge in a poorly ventilated lecture-hall.
To every other person -parents, guardians, relatives etc- it is purely mechanical; go to class, go to the library, go to church or pray your solats, get good grades and graduate with flying colours. But students are not machines and humans were not designed to be mechanical, consciously or otherwise, stress or pressure proceed to fill the spaces created by exhaustion and realistically, not all students are equipped to handle stress or pressure. It is a viscous cycle- loads of activities and pressure lead to exhaustion, exhaustion affects the hormones in the form of stress, and stress metamorphoses into mental issues for and with parents and families far away, a “19yr old kid” battle with mental health issues miles away from his familiar support system.
Mental health is not a new vocabulary to the residents of this community (University of Ibadan) and students from all parts of the world but for due diligence and contextual clarifications, Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behaviour. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is a “state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to his or her community”. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one’s intellectual and emotional potential, among others.
Mental health challenges refer to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour. In students, mental health challenges have been documented to lead to; anxiety, behavior disorder, mood swings, depression and sometimes suicide.
The fact that we are susceptible to mental health challenges is bad news, but the good news lies in our inherent ability to rise and be freed of the shackles of these challenges. At the risk of sounding cliche, the first step to getting free from mental challenges is communication. There are people to talk to around us, individuals like friends (who won’t influence us negatively), school counsellors, attentive lecturers, elders, religious leaders and the list goes on. The reluctance to open up is perfectly understandable but it’s not enough reason to hold back, we deserve all the help we can get. Other solutions include but are not limited to; getting regular exercise, time evaluation, time management, prioritization of rests and breaks(sleep), and staying away from alcohol and other drugs.
Students with mental health challenges should also consider reaching out and contacting NGOs in their environs to seek necessary help. Such organizations include the Asido Foundation (www.Asido foundation.com) which operates at the University of Ibadan.
Lastly, while this piece might not have brought a piece of new information to light, it however adds to the discussion about mental health and the challenges around it, especially among students. And maybe this would be the write-up that drives you to reach out for help. .
