The question is simple: Do you view your mental health as equally important as you do your physical health? No, I’m not trying to send you back to your Intro to Health class. However, this question seems pretty mundane to ask ourselves, but are we satisfied with our true answer?

When we come down with a cold, commonly we take the necessary steps to “fix” our condition. We buy medicine, perhaps even seek medical advice at a doctor’s office. But what if the problem isn’t something we can touch? What if the problem lies within how we conduct our day emotionally? Do you see an urgent care equivalency for therapy (emergency therapy)? Or, do you simply “fake it to make it”? I myself am guilty of this. However, would you do the same if this was pneumonia?

Recently, I’ve been facing this reality head first. We constantly pretend we take the steps to feed our mental health what it needs to stay positive, when, in actuality, we cause more damage. Most of the time we think the best route is to distract ourselves. We visit with relatives, we hang out with friends, or maybe even just binge on Netflix for months straight (guilty). These methods of distraction don’t actually “fix” anything—they just postpone facing our underlying mental health head-on.

It seems pretty easy to acknowledge at first, but at some point you have to try to balance your mental and physical aspects. With work and/or school, sometimes our time leaves us no options for seeking out help for these problems. Be it depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. Therapy and counseling helps more than you may notice at first. It can be a “trial and error," finding the best person you feel comfortable talking to, but when you do, it relieves so much initial stress to have an unbiased soundboard for your problems. Sometimes even speaking about them out loud for the first time can completely warp your perception on what may be “bogging down” your attitude and personality. Below I have listed some on-the-spot practices that may help when you can’t immediately talk to someone, as well as some resources for help.

• Put it in perspective: What can you change right now?
• Mandatory five deep breaths
• Create (paint, draw, doodle)
• Will it matter in five years? (If not, let it go.)
• Near a PetCo? (Puppies. Enough said.)

For Georgia Southern students, please take full advantage of the excellent staff at the counseling senter on campus. The center is located on Forest Drive between the Forest Drive building and the old Health Center. The link to their official website can be found here and their number for appointments is (912) 478–5541.

If you or anyone you know is showing signs of suicide or showing serious indications towards danger, please don't hesitate to contact a medical/emergency professional.