According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, mental health is "a person's condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being".
Mental health is no laughing matter. For 10 years, as a graduate student, I struggled with mental health issues. Emotionally I was overwhelmed. Everyday I felt like I was drowning. I experienced intense fear of failure and low self-esteem. In many ways, I consider myself lucky to have survived, to be alive today.
It is well documented. Graduate students are struggling. There is a mental health crisis in higher education. Puri (2019) states:
A recent Harvard study concluded that graduate students are over three times more likely than the average American to experience mental health disorders and depression.
When you feel yourself slipping, reach out to your friends and family. Find ways to support your own mental health today, so you can see the sun shine tomorrow.
Being on the other side, having graduated, the anxiety and stress has lifted. I feel like a whole new person... or rather the person I was before I went to graduate school. I'm happy and hopeful again, and it feels really, really good.
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