Taking care of yourself and erasing stigma

Self Care

Below are some ways you can start taking care of yourself while at school. It’s essential to not only keep up with your treatment but also make time for the people and things that you love. This will greatly improve your quality of life.

Keep Calm

Rate your feelings on a scale of 1–10. Ask yourself each day, “What’s my Feeling Temperature?” If it’s above a six or seven, it may help to take a short break and a few deep breaths. When your Feeling Temperature cools down to a five or below, you may find it easier to think rationally and logically and resume what you were doing.

Make time for the things you value

What’s important in your life? What do you value? Perhaps it’s friendships, family, and relationships. You may value your health and wellness. Spirituality or your faith may be important aspects of your life. You may have a hobby, interest, or passion that you find very satisfying. You may value compassion and helping others. Write down your values, and try to make time for some of them each

Maintaining Good Habits

Maintaining good habits can also go a long way towards keeping you emotionally healthy and lifting up your mood. This will leave you better able to deal with the stress and pressure that can cause OCD/anxiety to flare up.

Here are some of the things you can do keep yourself ready to face the challenges of a college life:

Get a good night’s sleep.

Too little sleep can have serious effects on your ability to function — it affects your memory, your retention, and your ability to think clearly and make good decisions. A lack of sleep can also worsen your physical and mental health, which can affect your grades and your ability to manage your OCD/anxiety symptoms. Try to get around 7–9 hours of sleep every night.

Exercise regularly.

Many students find it hard to make exercise a priority in college, especially when they have so many academic and social responsibilities to deal with already. It’s important to keep it as part of your schedule, however, because it can improve many aspects of your life. Exercise can brighten your mood, reduce stress, boost your energy, keep you healthy, and help you sleep. Create an exercise routine that works with your schedule for at least half an hour a day, and choose an activity that you enjoy. Try not to think of exercise as a punishment for eating too much, but rather as a habit that can make you physically and emotionally healthier.

Stick to a nutritious diet.

Not keeping proper nutrition can harm you both physically and emotionally. It can be the cause of bad moods and a lack of energy, can increase the amount of stress you feel, and limit how well you concentrate. When you do eat less nutritious foods (and everyone does!) try to do so in moderation. Finally, missing meals can make you tired, irritable, or cause you to overeat. Make sure to eat every couple of hours or so.

Keep your stress at healthy levels.

Every college student feels stress to some degree. Too much of it, however, can harm your physical health, your grades, and your social life, and can cause serious emotional distress. Try to be proactive about keeping your stress manageable — try to attack it before it overwhelms you. To keep yourself relaxed, try things such as deep breathing, meditating, yoga, writing, listening to music, or playing an instrument. If your stress gets to be too much for you to handle, your college’s health center may be able to show other ways to manage it.

Reach out to others.

Meeting new people and making new friends is just as much a part of being a college student as academics. Having a good social network can help you manage the stress college causes and give you a safety net in case your OCD/anxiety starts to worsen. Being too isolated can make the transition to college much harder. A good way to meet people is to join an organization or club that you’re interested in. This way, you’re guaranteed to meet others with something in common. Many schools hold activity fairs to show off and give information to new students about the clubs on campus, but you should feel free to reach out if you want to learn more at any point in the year.

Keep up with your treatment plan.

If your licensed mental health professional has given you a treatment plan to help you combat your OCD/anxiety, it is important that you stick to it as much as possible. When college life gets hectic, it can be tempting to put your treatment aside to focus on meeting your academic or social demands. Not keeping up with your treatment plan, however, can lead to even worse consequences in the future.

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

It is important to be aware of the dangers of experimentation with substances (such as alcohol and recreational drugs) in an effort to fit in or partake in the social scene, or even to calm OCD/anxiety symptoms or other unwanted emotional and/or physical distress. Often this has a negative impact on an individual’s activities, schoolwork, and social life. Substance use disorder (SUD) is categorized as a repetitive pursuit of attaining and using substances in order to receive temporary relief from unwanted symptoms of emotions and/or physical distress. Learn more about OCD/anxiety and SUD.
If you or someone you know may be experiencing a problem with substances, contact your campus health center to receive resources and support. Always seek immediate help if you or someone you know is feeling unsafe.

Crisis

Never wait to seek help — reach out when you are struggling. If there is an emergency or you are ever feeling suicidal or unsafe please go to your local emergency room, call 911, or call the suicide prevention hotline at (800) 273-8255, or visit their online chat at suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat for free, confidential help and support. Remember that hope and help are always available. You are never alone.

Be prepared for anything by learning about your campus’ emergency resources. Save the appropriate emergency contact numbers in your phone, be aware of nearby hospitals, and know your treatment preferences.

Support Networks

Along with keeping in touch with your support system back home, college provides opportunities to meet new people and develop strong friends. Be sure to not isolate yourself — join a club or get involved with other student life activities. Typically, colleges have activities specifically designed for freshmen and new students. Take advantage of these events to get to know your fellow students. If this seems overwhelming to you, start small by getting to know your roommate, dormmates, and/or classmates.

Connect with the OCD/anxiety community

There are several ways in which you can connect with not only the IOCDF, but the OCD/anxiety and related disorders community as a whole.

Become an IOCDF Student Member

Participate in your Local Affiliate or Global Partner

Become a Grassroots Advocate

Join our Virtual Community

Support Groups

Browse through the IOCDF Blog

Erasing Stigma

As a college student, you can help spread awareness and reduce stigma on your campus. Stigma can stand in the way of someone asking for help or seeking the treatment they need. Your advocacy efforts can help impact a student that is just starting to have OCD/anxiety symptoms.

You can get involved and start advocating on your campus by:

Sharing your Story

Get Involved on Campus

Be Creative

Teach Others