College Success and the Importance of Seeking Treatment

Even if you’re doing well, college is a stressful environment. Between applying for jobs, constantly learning, maintaining a good GPA, maintaining friendships, and finding room for yourself, there’s a lot to balance.

A 1990 article in the Journal of Educational Psychology suggests that if students think they have “control of time”, it’s pretty likely they’ll have better academic, professional, and personal outcomes.

An 1987 article in the same journal had similar findings. If a student can resist pressure, like saying “no” to people and other distractions along with prioritizing school work, they are likely to get better grades. But expecting people to “just say no” doesn’t work. Saying “yes”, it turns out, is much easier, even when you don’t want to say yes.

Time management isn’t easy. But at the end of the day, you have 4 years to find out what you’re going to do after college. 4 years is not that much time. You have to pound the iron while it’s hot, and just do the things on your list, because that’s the only way to succeed.

But just doing things is difficult. Even if you are not experiencing mental illness, you may feel overwhelmed, burned out, or unwilling to act. It can be very difficult to get yourself to do things, especially if you don’t want to. But the only way to get results that might put you in a better position is through action.

There’s no magic key to building motivation, no quick and dirty trick to increase success. You just have to sit down and do it.

That being said, if you are experiencing mental illness, just sitting down and doing something can be very difficult.

So what should you do?

Getting on meds was probably the most important thing I’ve done for myself in the past year. And I really didn’t want to do it. I kept telling myself that if I got on meds I was weak, that I could make it through without them. I knew better, but I was afraid.

Not getting medication can only make things worse. And it can make things a whole lot better. Personally I feel more motivated and have been doing much more than before in the pandemic.

So please, Talk to a psychiatrist. Here’s a list of clinics in Southeast Wisconsin. Write down some names, call some phone numbers, and get the help you deserve.

Further, here is a link to free mental health resources in the Milwaukee area.