Sandy stress or depression getting at you? Relax with these tips
By Dasia Brown
Sandy, to many, is known as the furry chunky cheek squirrel from “SpongeBob” or the happy go lucky girl next door from the movie “Grease” but, after this month’s hurricane the name Sandy will never be looked at the same.
She tore through homes, knocked out power, left people homeless, even left others hungry and stuck in long lines for gas. But what else did she do that many didn’t know she could?
Hurricane Sandy affected more than the Tri-State area with rain and wind that picked up to ninety mph. A lot of Kean students have never experienced anything close to this in their lifetime.
Dealing with the aftermath of the storm is way more than trying to get back on the right schedule, repairing your homes, or even waiting for the power to restore in your area. Many students have to deal with the stress and depression that also swept through when the hurricane ended.
According to the National Institution of Mental Health thirty percent of college students struggled with some form of depression or stress. That number rises after students go through a crisis situation such as Sandy.
Depression can be defined as having sad or anxious feelings. Some of the symptoms of depression are as followed:
- Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
- Problems concentrating or remembering information
- Lack of sleep or sleeping to much
- Lost of appetite
- Pains such as head aches or digestive problems
If you have any of these symptoms don’t be afraid there is help for you. Plenty of times these feelings will go away on there own with due time but, if they do not feel free to contact your doctor or feel free to go to the schools counseling center for help.
Stress is much like depression, but differs. Sandy made a lot of people stressed out because they were knocked off their normal routines or have so much backed-up assignments to do all at once that it feels overwhelming.
Stress can be caused by bad situations or good situations. In this case Sandy caused for students to go through several different types of stress. Those stresses can be survival stress, internal stress or environmental stress.
Survival stress is what is also known as “flight or fight” stress. This happens when you feel afraid the body sends chemicals that give off energy. That energy will either make someone want to leave the situation that is making them feel this way or fight back. In the situation of Sandy many people may have had the flight reaction but, had no way of leaving.
Internal stress is when a person worries over things that are out of their control. Environmental stress is caused by outside interference such as noise, crowding, and pressure from people around.
Both internal stress and environmental stress can sometimes work together in the sense of a natural crisis such as Hurricane Sandy.
It is important to realize what is going on with your body so that you can get the help you need. Getting back on track after such devastation can take a while. If you or someone you know are showing any of these symptoms feel free to contact the counseling center located in Downs Hall room 127 or call at (908) 737-4850.
Don’t feel embarrassed getting help for yourself is the best thing to do even if it’s just talking to someone that you are close to getting things that are bothering you off your mind.
Other activities that can help lower stress are exercise, arts and crafts or reading a book that relaxes you. Take time for yourself and the others around to appreciate each other.
If you have any questions or concerns about anything that you would like advice about please send an email to thetower@kean.edu. You’ll be advised the best way with truth, remember that it’s strictly anonymous!