Depression is rampant among college students. It is estimated that 1 in 5 university students suffer from anxiety or depression, and sometimes both.

“I’m just tired.”

“I have no motivation to do anything.”

“What’s the point of it all?”

If this sounds like you, you are probably a college student and you may be temporarily depressed.

However, if this has been your mindset for a prolonged period of time, you may have depression.

The difference between being depressed and having depression is an important one to make. Being depressed is a temporary feeling, having depression is a prolonged mental illness. The signs of depression can sometimes be there but brushed off as temporary sadness. Prolonged feelings of hopelessness, loss of interest in things you used to love, fatigue, anxiety, changes in appetite or weight, uncontrollable emotions, and thoughts of death are all signs that you may have depression.

It is important to recognize these signs and to address them as they come. It’s okay to have a few off days. It’s okay to miss a homework assignment or two, maybe even a couple classes, simply to put your own mental health first.

When it isn’t okay is when those one-time things become habits. And it may not be just laziness.

The pressure is on now more than ever to go to college and to do exceedingly well. High GPAs look better on resumes. Classes become progressively harder. Attendance becomes mandatory. Assignments become more complex and lengthy. The pressure to get involved simply to fill up your resume becomes so extreme, we lose sight of why we are in college. Sometimes, we make it more about making the grade than learning the material.

For me, the idealized view of college as this euphoric place of freedom and exploration was a complete letdown once I got here. After I realized that ‘real life’ really is not all it cracked up to be, I hit complete rock bottom. As many college students do.

To the depressed college student, diagnosed or not: you are doing amazing.

To that person crying in the library, wiping their tears, and continuing to type that essay: I’m with you. To the person who can’t seem to get out of bed this morning, for the third or fourth day in a row: You are not alone. To the extrovert who cries into their pillow at night, or the introvert who isolates for comfort: We’ve all been there.

It is natural to struggle. It is natural to be depressed.

We so often label emotions as ‘good’ or ‘bad’; when in reality, emotions are simply comfortable or uncomfortable. And it is more than okay to embrace the uncomfortable.

If you think you may have depression, your next steps should be to get help.Visit your doctor and get a depression screening. If you aren’t feeling comfortable enough to take this step yet, start with reaching out to your close friends, family, or other trusted people in your life. Vent. Tell them how you’re feeling.

Getting that weight off your shoulders is the first step to recovery.

To the depressed college student, take it one day at a time. Do something every day that makes you happy, no matter how small. Remember that many people love you, even at your worst. You will conquer this.

Know that all good things come with time, that you will succeed, degree in hand or not.

National Hopeline Network: 1-800-442-4673
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
The TrevorLifeline (LGBTQ suicide hotline): 1-866-488-7386
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741