Are you feeling depressed? According to a study conducted in 2022-2023, 41% of college students reported symptoms of depression and 36% reported feeling anxiety(Eisenberg et al., 2023). Depression is the constant feeling of sadness that can prevent you from doing daily activities.
Depressive symptoms can range from relatively minor tosevere based on factors such as life events or changes in brain structure. These symptomsinclude a loss of interest, increased fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, changes inappetite and weight, heightened anxiety, and a hopeless outlook on life. Are you a part of the statistics?
There are many ways to treat depression and to help depressive symptoms. If someone chooses to get treated medically, they’re typically prescribed an antidepressant such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro; these examples belong to a group of medications called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (or simply SSRIs). Other options outside medication include counseling; an option that SUNY Poly offers through their services at the Wellness Center.
Moreover, exercising regularly, and participating in meditation or yoga classes while simultaneously avoiding the consumption of alcohol and other substances can help your mental health and overall, improve your wellbeing. Here on campus, there are classes you can drop in whenever you have the time!
Meditation Monday classes are held in the Wildcat Field House from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm every Monday. In addition, Wellness Wednesdays Hatha Yoga classes are offered in the Field House Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. No sign-ups are required for both of these, so feel free to stop by when you’re feeling down in the dumps.
But what if you don’t have time to drop in? What can you do as a “quick fix”? I personally like to watch cute cat or dog videos, so I decided to take a deep dive into why these videos make me feel happier! Research has found that watching cute animal videos can increase positive emotions and reduce negative emotions. A study done by Zhou et al., expresses how watching cute and/or funny animal videos can have “positive effects on people’s physical and mental health” when treating depression and anxiety (2020). This effect is similar for those who have Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) as it provides a therapeutic benefit similar to that of comfort and emotional support.
So, next time that you’re feeling depressed make sure you take the necessary steps to improve your symptoms whether that be attending counseling or watching cute dog videos! You can watch these videos on any social media platform such as Instagram Reels, TikTok, FaceBook Reels, and even on Snapchat Stories Discover Page. At the end of the day, we all have that dog in us so it’s only natural for us to watch these funny videos and have a good laugh!