What happened to you doesn’t define you, but it does shape you. You have a choice to be stuck in that room forever or to become a person they never touched, never stole from and never had power over.
Browsing: mental health
In a world that is all over the place and constantly changing, cozy games help. Games like The Sims 4 and Animal Crossing offer low-stakes, calm gameplay. These games allow players to tend gardens, fish and decorate their dream homes at their own pace. There aren’t any fast-paced, quick time events or frustrating levels to complete, which helps promote relaxation.
Now that the winter months have passed and the sun is consistently shining, there are so many opportunities to be outside and enjoy the fresh air. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the nice weather has been taking walks outside. Walking has consistently improved my mood, eased my anxieties and provided a fun way to exercise.
College life is filled with lots of stress-inducing factors, especially for a freshman. However, the importance of a healthy mind cannot be overstated. High levels of emotional or mental stress can often lead to a decline in academic performance. Fortunately, Baylor has lots of resources to combat this stress.
Life, conflict and growth are uncomfortable. When every uneasy emotion becomes a diagnosis, we lose resilience. Instead of asking, “Why do I feel this way?” we ask, “What do I have?” The question shifts from reflection to labeling.
Learn to love your scars, for your past self if no one else. I’ve had a prominent scar for most of my life. Learning to be proud of who I am and love the uniqueness it brings was a major part of becoming who I am today.
It wasn’t until I began to see how much of my insecurity was rooted not in incapability but in the false negative narrative I was repeating to myself that I could thrive as a young professional.
In a college culture dominated by notifications, infinite scrolling and algorithm-driven outrage, a growing number of students are quietly opting out of the digital agenda. Instead, students are turning to analog hobbies to reclaim attention, creativity and mental clarity.
Color-coded calendars are filled to the brim with classes, shifts, workouts and hopefully blocking out time to eat in our busy schedules, while finding time with friends is treated like a luxury.
“Our philanthropy is impacting other people; it impacts everyone that walks into this room and every person that’s not in this room,” Camden, Maine, senior Ali Tassoni said. “I do think that every person, whether it’s directly or indirectly, has a relationship with mental health; it’s just cool to see that kind of impact, especially with college students.”
Despite the ideology that our culture and world have created, slow can be the most transformative and impactful speed at which to live our lives. Slowing down in a world of hurry and busyness allows you to truly see the plan God has for you.
In a world full of success and hustle culture, watching the friends you grew up with pack their bags to move to their dream city might spark feelings of insecurity. Despite this, it’s important to remember that everyone is on their own path, on their own time. It might not sound as glamorous as a packed U-Haul barreling its way to a new city, but returning to your hometown post-grad is just as fulfilling.
Starting a conversation with someone you haven’t talked to in a while can be stressful, but more times than not, making the effort to send a small text results in a renewal of a connection.
Dr. Ed Rogers, assistant director, training director and senior psychologist for the Counseling Center, said too much exposure to negative news affects one’s mental health. These effects occur because the human brain struggles to distinguish between remote and current threats.
By prioritizing mental health in roommate matching, Baylor has the unique opportunity to transform nightmare roommate situations into partnerships that support and uplift roommates.
On social media platforms, Baylor showcases images of its beautiful campus, smiling students and graduate success stories, all reinforcing a promise of personal, academic and professional achievement. While these photos of perfection and happiness are a nice visual, they do not accurately reflect the stress and competitive nature many students, myself included, experience behind the scenes.
The world is full of war, unrest, starvation and strife. America itself struggles with political turmoil, disunity and evil. While millions of things vie for our attention and beg to be fixed, one of our biggest defenses is compartmentalization.
The Bible counters self-love culture’s mantra of independence, and instead it teaches us that we are made whole through utter dependence on God and engagement with the community of the Church.
Stress is real. Overwhelm is real. Mental health struggles are real. But not every moment of discomfort, pressure or frustration is a crisis. When we label everything as one, we do real harm to people experiencing genuine emergencies and who rely on systems designed to respond to true crises.
Zoos get a pretty bad rap. For a place filled with furry friends and fantastical creatures, you’d expect the general sentiment toward them would be slightly positive, if not outright supportive.
April showers may bring May flowers, but December weather and Seasonal Affective Disorder can arrive together. For students going through finals this season, SAD poses a unique challenge.
In anticipation of end-of-semester sickness, Baylor Health Services officials say flu cases rise just as much as mental health concerns do in the final weeks of the semester. They advise students to seek treatment earlier rather than “powering through.”
“We’re really trying to foster and create a new community for students to come to that’s more peer-to-peer rather than peer-to quote unquote ‘adult,’ so it’s more of a comfortable connection,” Villalon said.
Former Baylor volleyball player Emily Huston created HomeTeam, which is “the first centralized hub for athlete-centered care and community,” according to its website. HomeTeam was born to combat the loneliness athletes face after leaving their sport.
As finals approach, Baylor’s Graduate School is encouraging students to slow down, reflect and reset through its upcoming Wellness Wednesday workshop, “Ending Well: Reflect & Recharge.”
Despite the addictive nature of phones, there is a solution to the ever-consuming algorithm — a better way to educate oneself, to engage in critical thought and expand one’s worldview. I propose returning to the original form of entertainment, the humble paperback book.
It’s so easy to blame the phone, but the truth is, the phone isn’t forcing us to do anything. It’s our own habits that are out of control. Technology is neutral; it becomes what we make of it.
In the desert, there was no air conditioner humming, no cars passing or machinery whirring. There were no signs of humanity; I was extremely uncomfortable, and that’s exactly why I think everyone should experience camping.
Human interaction can’t compete with the dopamine spike that social media provides. The attention economy has made focus a rare commodity. Every app is engineered to pull us back in, fragmenting not just our time, but our relationships. Friendship now competes with algorithms designed to hijack our curiosity.
The hardest version of forgiveness isn’t about someone else’s mistakes. It’s about your own. It’s easier to extend grace to people who hurt us than it is to look back and forgive the person we used to be.
