Depression in college is real. I have heard many of my friends in college complain that college was making them depressed.
Most of them were contemplating dropping out.
I have been in the same situation before. I had a really bad start to college, which made me come close to falling into depression. Get the full story in my eBook, which narrates how college pushed me close to depression.
From what I have experienced, college life becomes depressing if you consistently fail your classes or if you struggle to make friends.
At first, it feels like a bad omen that you can easily overcome but when it persists, it becomes unbearable. If that is your current situation, don’t worry, I’m here to help.
It is normal to feel depressed in college. College is not the most exciting stage in life; that is true at least for many people. Attending college was a horrifying experience for me. I eventually dropped out.
College is making me Depressed: Why it is happening
Before I can tell you how to deal with the depression you are feeling right now because of college, I feel it is important to talk about where all the trouble starts from.
Though I am not a specialist, I have experienced the college depression and drawn valid conclusions from my own experience.
Read Also: 3 Things I did after I dropped out of College
I find two factors to be the main cause of making people feel depressed in college:
1. Failing College Classes
When I joined college, I was riding on good grades I had scored in high school. In high school, I never had to work hard to pass my exams; success came naturally.
When I joined college, I expected the smooth ride to continue but I was met with a rude shock. First, it was difficulty in knowing where my classes were then it turned to difficulty in understanding what the lecturers were teaching.
The story in my eBook has all the details of how bitter I became.
I was used to other students coming to consult me after class because they didn’t understand what the teacher was saying but I was now the one who was looking for my classmates to help me understand what the lecturer was saying.
The struggle I experienced in class together with the poor performance I posted in my first two semesters was enough to push me into depression. In my quick thinking, I decided to drop out rather than let myself be depressed because of poor results.
2. Having no Friends
The second reason why college is making you feel depressed is a result of the inability to make friends. It is sad that most people who fail in class often struggle to make friends.
Of course when you fail in class, other students won’t want to befriend you for fear that you may cause them to start failing also. The isolation that you feel is tormenting to the brain which leads to depression.
Read Also: Parents won’t Pay for College? Here is the best thing to do
In my story of how I dropped out of college, I narrate how one day my group members kicked me out of their group discussion because I had nothing to contribute.
It was the last nail on the coffin for me. I felt rejected and trashed. Even though I was a bright student, I couldn’t get traction in class. I was on a constant downward spiral. It was terrible.
I found myself spending most of my time all alone. I would go to a certain garden in the college compound and lie down on the edge all by myself. I skipped several classes just because I never wanted to see the ‘friends’ who rejected me.
Having no friends in college is a sure way of sending you into depression.
What to do when College is making you Feel Depressed
What should someone do if he feels depressed because of college?
1. Find a fix
The first step to take if college is making you depressed should be to fix your situation while you are still in college. From what I observed, depression in college is often a result of losing control of many things.
The feeling of being a leaf in the wind is draining. Poor results that can’t change no matter how much effort you put into them make you feel you have no control over your life.
Sometimes it is the blank feeling of what you came in college to do. All these empty feelings lead to feelings of depression.
Start your recovery journey by going to the college counselor to get help. I know you may be too depressed to even wake up from your bed but give it a shot.
I never went to the college counselor but I believe it would have been helpful had I gone to see her. Here are some advantages of going to see a counselor if you are depressed.
2. Take a Break from College
If you don’t like the idea of going to see a counselor when college is making you depressed, then it is wise to take a break from college. I don’t want to call it dropping out because I want you to keep the possibility of going back to college in mind.
Taking a break from college will give you space to figure out your life and hopefully go back once you find stability.
In my case, the college environment was making me sick. I never wanted to see students. I rented an apartment far from the University where no student was residing.
Remember your health and well-being is more important than a college degree. With a college degree, you can afford to mess around and fix it later but with your mental health, you have no room for error.
Read my article on the best time to drop out of college to know exactly when you should drop out.
Taking a break from college has its own challenges but it is worth it if it saves you from depression.
If you were to walk away from this article with only one thing let it be this; feel free to take a break from college. Take care of your mental health.
Motivation when College is making you Depressed
The situation you are in right now is no doubt depressing. When I was feeling depressed in college, I really desired to find someone who could understand me. I just wanted someone to tell me everything would be fine.
I know you may be having the same cravings. That is why I wrote about my rough experiences in college. I compiled my experiences into a compassionate story that you can read and find comfort in.
There is a kind of comfort that comes from reading a story of someone else who went through exactly what you are going through. Even better is if the person managed to come out of the painful experience successfully.
Here is the link to my eBook.
I pray that you find a way out of your situation and hopefully help someone else struggling with the same situation in future just as I have done for you.
All the best!