Missouri Western students face mental health problems post-inauguration
Since the Presidential inauguration on Jan 20., U.S. citizens have reported waves of anxiety and depression, especially LGBTQIA+ youth and other marginalized communities.
On Tuesday, The Trevor Project reported a 46% increase in volume to their crisis services while the Rainbow Youth Project reported over 1,400 calls to their national hotline by early afternoon Monday.
“It's scary, especially being part of marginalized communities," Missouri Western State University student Kylee Leach said. "The first ten days, all these proactive things that are being taken away, it's scary for underprivileged people. And I think that people like us need to use our privilege to speak up about it.”
“Lots of anxiety. Lots and lots of anxiety," Missouri Western student Riley Wells said. "Because there's just so much aggression coming from different directions...It's questionable, I feel like, what direction things are going to be going in.”
Regardless where one stands on the political spectrum, social media is playing a large role on the blight of mental health.
“Please get off social media if you are worried about what is going on in the world right now and with the recent executive actions. The best things you can do for your mental health are to get off social media," Family Guidance Center Co-Chief Executive Officer Kristina Hannon said.
"One of the reasons why I encourage people not to access media and social media right now is because the more of the stuff you see that upsets you- and all the algorithms are set to drive you further down that rabbit hole of things that upset you- the more you see that stuff, the more upset you will be," Hannon continued. "But if you start to focus on all the positive things, you will notice that you tend to then be more positive in other areas of your life too."
There are several resources available for those struggling with mental health including the Family Guidance Center’s free Behavioral Health Urgent Care, the 988 emergency line and MWSU's Counseling Center which is free to students. Individuals who prefer not to seek professional services can practice several techniques proven to improve mental health.
Additional resources include the Compassionate Ear Warm Line based in Kansas City, Kansas, which can be reached at 913-281-2251 or toll free at 1-866-927-6329, the Talk Listen Care Warmline which operates from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day for Missouri callers, which can be reached toll free at 877-626-0638 or 573-651-3642 and the Family Guidance Center's Monday through Friday walk-in hour from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at 724 N. 22 St. in St. Joseph, Missouri.
"There's a lot of things that people do whenever they are feeling anxiety," Kristen Neeley, director of MWSU's Career Development Center said. "Personally, I like to color. That might sound interesting, but I like to, you know, kind of color and get some anxiety out or kind of a coping. Also, listen to podcasts, things that are positive, uplifting, or things that make me happy, you know? Things to get yourself kind of out of your mind and really focus on something that could be exciting for the future."
"There are a lot of things you can do to promote positive mental health," Hannon said. "Some of those things would include sticking to a sleep schedule, making sure you're really tending to your sleep hygiene, eating a healthy diet, going outside...create a space of meditation in your home."
At the end of the day, everyone can only control their own actions and decisions, so it's best to focus on what can be controlled rather than what can't.
“All I can say is that it does happen every four years," Neeley said. "So it's going to, you know, sometimes the pendulum swings each way. So really, what I try to find is what can I control and what can I do in my community or in my small bubble to make the world a better place?”
