Student Mental Health Awareness Program

Marks Nahi, Haal Poocho

In the competitive world that we live in, there are several obstacles such as examination pressure, extremely high cutoffs at the desired educational institutes or the unrealistic expectations from parents & society that affect the mental well-being of a student.

We at CollegeDekho, are running a week-long campaign with an objective to help students who are stressed, anxious or even depressed because of performance pressure in their academic journey.

For us, a student’s mental well-being is of utmost importance. We strongly believe that every individual has a set of strengths and weaknesses that should be determined by YOUR CAPABILITIES and NOT YOUR MARKS!

Remember, It’s always okay to ask for help!

Is there too much academic or parental pressure on you with respect to your higher education goals? Do you think your growth and learning curve is hindered? Do you find yourself in a situation where you want to pursue something else, while being pressured by your peers and family to pursue something of their choice? Are you dealing with increased levels of stress or anxiety? Are you unhappy with the direction your life is taking?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, speak to our experts/ trained psychological professionals who can help you with their expertise in crisis management.

Reach out to us at seeksupport@collegedekho.com for guidance & support!

The Mental Health Hygiene Toolkit

Our goal is to provide the students with helpful resources.

The Mental Health Hygiene Toolkit is a guide filled with actionable items a student between the ages of 17-25 can make use of to uplift or maintain their mental wellbeing. The Guide is divided into 3 sections; Self-Care, Peer Support Care, and Specialist care. These sections are important to show that mental wellbeing can be maintained in many ways. It is for information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Download Toolkit

Real People, Real Stories

Frequently Asked Question

My parents are not giving me enough attention/time because I did not score well in my board exams/ competitive exams? What should I do?

We are sorry that your parents are not giving you enough attention. Before you talk to them take a moment to acknowledge your feelings about scoring well in your exams. There may have been valid reasons for not scoring well. Document them and see what can be improved next time around. Accept that the marks cannot be changed. Now think about why your parents may be not giving you attention. Maybe they need some time to process their own expectations. Give them time and then speak freely, ask them how they are feeling about your performance, and what they are thinking. Then express your feelings and how you feel about them not giving you attention. Discuss what went wrong and outline steps you are taking to improve your performance. Ask for their support saying their lack of attention might hinder your ability to focus and study. Set realistic goals this time and also have a plan B if you fail to meet those expectations.

My son has taken his/her entrance exam performance to heart and feels a lot of pressure. What can I do to help him/her?

Please take a few minutes to acknowledge your own feelings and thoughts. How do you feel about your own son’s performance? Is what you are saying or doing consciously or unconsciously adding to his distress? This is perfectly fine and normal. Just acknowledge this and think about what to say and how to behave.

Start by telling your son that you are here for him, while marks matter, he is more important. Tell him that you love him and support him no matter what his marks are and his marks won’t change your feelings for him. Also, let him know that his value and self-worth are not solely dependent on his marks. Now ask him about his feelings and thoughts. Let him speak freely. Listen. Respond back with kindness, care, and concern. Don’t offer any solutions or advice now -- you can do that later, and with his permission -- for now, just listen. After he has spoken freely and let it all out give him some form of verbal and non-verbal love and affection. Let him know he’s loved and supported.

Now you can sit down and figure out a plan on how to improve his performance next time.

I scored very low in my entrance examination. I am feeling very depressed. What can I do?

We are sorry to hear that you are feeling depressed because you scored low in your entrance exam. Given the circumstances, feeling this way is normal, and happens to a lot of students who score low marks. Your feelings are valid and you don’t need to fight them. If you are feeling fatigued, unable to concentrate, have difficulty sleeping, have a low appetite, abusing drugs or alcohol, socially isolating yourself, feel like self-harming, or feeling emotionally agitated it is important that you reach out to a mental health professional so that you get the right help. Addressing your emotional state is important because once that is stabilized you will have the energy to come up with solutions to your low mark situation. Do talk to your parents and peers who can help you during this time.

Consult with a career counselor to figure out the various options that you have and the kind of marks that you will need to score to make those options a reality. Also, figure out all the courses and certifications that you can take while you wait to do your entrance exams again. You can also explore all the courses, colleges, and careers that are available based on the current marks.

I took time off this year to prepare for entrance exams. Unfortunately, I'm now extremely depressed for fear that I may lose out on time. I am unable to do anything. Please help.

We are sorry to hear that you are feeling depressed and are unable to do anything. This is understandable considering you have taken the year off to prepare for exams. The pressure you feel is normal. It must be difficult to feel depressed and have a sense that you are unable to do anything.

From your end, please take a break, it is possible that you are burnt out. Sometimes just taking time off and doing nothing or something you enjoy can be helpful. Please do seek professional help as this can help you to stabilize your emotional distress and quell your anxiety. Reach out to a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist who can do a formal diagnosis and suggest the next steps. The first thing you should focus on is your own mental health, once that is stable you will be able to have better focus and clarity to deal with your entrance exam or explore alternatives in case you do not fare well in the exams.

I can't sleep well these days. The rigorous study routine that I am following is taking a toll on my physical and mental health and I don't feel right. How can I come out of this?

We are sorry that you are unable to sleep well and that you don’t feel right. The rigorous routine does sound taxing. Can you consider taking a break to recuperate and also incorporate mini-breaks into your routine? There are many options. Please refer to our free digital mental health toolkit for what you can do. Establishing a routine with the same sleep-wake cycles may also help. Switching off digital devices and stopping studying an hour before bedtime may also be helpful.

It is also important to seek professional help when needed. This could include your general physician, a psychiatrist, therapist, or even an expert in sleep (somnologist).

My friends have stopped including me in gatherings and i broke up with my partner as well. I don't feel like eating and have lost sleep. What should I do?

We are sorry about the fact that your friends have stopped inviting you to gatherings that must make you feel excluded and ignored. A breakup is always painful and can severely disrupt your day-to-day life. It does look like you are dealing with a lot. It is understandable that in these situations you don’t feel like eating and you are losing sleep.

You may want to take some time to reflect on why this is happening? Has there been anything that has triggered this? Maybe write your thoughts down and retrace your steps? Talk to your friends and family. Lastly, the things you describe might be related to something deeper, and one way to get to the bottom is to seek professional help. We have a list of mental health professionals in the directory compiled by Suicide Prevention India Foundation. This can be accessed here. Do note that this is your call. Seeking help, does help.

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