Office of Student Life

Your Student Life: Reach Out

January 23, 2023

This time of your life brings many new experiences, friendships and relationships, opportunities, as well as extra stressors. While the goal is for all students to maximize their time at Ohio State, there may be points in time where you may find yourself struggling. 

Some of the struggles you may find yourself encountering can be:

  • Decreased energy
  • Not feeling motivated to get your work done
  • Significant change in the amount you sleep, or your appetite
  • Increase in use of alcohol/ drugs
  • Feeling irritable or stressed
  • Feeling down or anxious

Know that having times of struggle as a student is common and to be expected! It’s not just you; all students experience some challenging moments across their college career, undergraduate or graduate and professional. As part of the Ohio State community, we can all help one another. Reaching out is something you can do to get assistance for yourself, or to help a friend who is struggling. 

Reaching out is important. At times, it’s even more important to reach out to those you know. It goes both ways. A simple text message letting someone know that you’re thinking of them can go a long way. Carving out time to go to lunch, study, or just hang out can go even further. We know you’re busy, but refilling your social tank and others’ is a positive way to maintain mental health and well-being. 

This is a good practice whether you notice signs of struggle or not. Many of us do a good job of giving the perception that we’re OK, even if we’re not. That is especially true in this age of social media where people project their best moments and may not acknowledge, even to themselves, that they may be struggling a bit.

Finally, we have many support services on campus that are designed to help students improve their overall well being and to be successful both in and outside of the classroom.  You can find a list of these support options at go.osu.edu/reachout. Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service also has a number of on-demand services. You can find out more by visiting the CCS website.

Taking care of your own well-being and supporting other’s is part of what being a Buckeye is all about!

Dr. Micky Sharma
Director, Counseling and Consultation Service
Office of Student Life