As all students know, staying mentally alert and healthy can be one of the most difficult challenges that students face. It’s no news that mental health becomes harder to manage during the winter — the reduced daylight, cold temperature and snow can adversely affect our ability to stay mentally healthy. Furthermore, college students are one of the prime groups affected by declining mental health and illness — something that national data shows that many colleges are ill-equipped to deal with. 

For this reason, we believe that a timely reminder is important. During this upcoming semester, we want to encourage every student to take proactive steps in ensuring that they will remain mentally well throughout all the stresses they may face. The University of Minnesota has many important resources to note. 

The main resource available to students is Student Counseling Services. In this facility located in Appleby Hall 340, counselors work closely with students to offer the best advice for the student’s concerns. When there is adversity at the campus-wide level that may cause students a great amount of stress, the Student Counseling Services takes walk-in appointments and is readily available to help however they can. Anyone can schedule an appointment at 612-624-3323.

Student Counseling Services also runs multiple group sessions that allow students to work with others to talk through their personal issues. These groups teach skills and connect students with others that may be dealing with similar problems. They hold specific sessions based on specific mental health issues. 

Another way to manage one’s workload in relation to mental stress is to schedule an appointment with the Disability Resource Center. The office is located in McNamara Hall and they can be reached by phone at 612-626-1333. The Disability Resource Center primarily works with students that may be falling behind in school due to a disability. The center asks the student what they struggle with the most and they work to contact professors and to ensure the student can have flexible deadlines or longer testing sessions. The center arranges highly specific accommodations and is a great resource to have on this campus. 

Boynton also has a specific mental health clinic that assesses students, and students can meet with a doctor to talk about if medication is a good fit for them. Boynton’s mental health clinic also offers urgent care crisis counseling.

Mentalhealth.umn.edu is a resource for any student who might not have the time to physically meet with someone. The site details and links to many available resources. These can be specific to international students that might be dealing with homesickness, or can be useful for those that have had a death in their family. Regardless of anyone’s circumstances, we encourage everyone to engage with the resources offered by our institution, and inform us and the University of areas for improvement.