MENTAL HEALTH & PERSONALITY
Mental health illness is more common than most people think.
If your stress is high and/or you have symptoms of one or more of the symptoms of mental health distress, you could benefit from the resources shared below. You also want to check-out free counseling at your school/college and those in your community.
In addition to mental health being a key factor in well-being, so is personality (take the assessment using the link below). If you scored high on Conscientiousness, then you have an increased chance of being more organized and mindful during college, and hence academically more successful.
If you scored higher on extroversion, you are likely to be happier than introverts, research shows. This could be ascribed, in part at least, to the resilience and joy of that often comes with having more human contact. This does increase the number of resources when things get challenging. But don’t worry, we’ll be actively building a network of support in the “creating meaningful relationships” page.
If you’re high on Narcissism (negative emotionality), and especially if you answered yes to one or more of the mental health questions below, consider talking with a mental health counselor.
The good news is that personality is changeable through intentional behavior that moves in the direction of the trait one desires more of (Hudson, et al., 2018). This is especially true during one’s youth. Also, mental illness is a condition that can be successfully addressed with the right kind of help. See the resources below.
Here is one method to reduce narcissism and/or increase happiness.
Activity #1:
Five Positive Events from this Past Week
1).
2).
3).
4).
5).
Five Things I’ve Done Well this Past Week
1).
2).
3).
4).
5).
Activity #2:
Next, please write a letter of gratitude to someone who has positively influenced your life. Consider using the following points in your letter:
Another way to increase your happiness and reduce negativity is through an “at least not” thinking perspective. This is the act of stating when something undesirable occurs, all the other negatives that didn’t go poorly.
The more you practice activities and methods the easier it will become and your mood will improve, increasing your happiness and success.
Here is a brief definition of each dimension of personality, which conveniently spells OCEAN and CANOE:
Resources for Personality:
Take the BigFive for yourself, until we get our funding and stuff up and running, here, you’ll get details too on your personality: https://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/
Resources for Mental Health:
Confidential Hotline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or [email protected]
Mental Health America: www.nmha.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: www.dbsalliance.org
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Six Things You Can Say to Someone Who is Depressed (Kim, J). Link: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culture-shrink/201507/6-things-you-can-say-support-someone-whos-depressed
What to Say to Someone Who's Depressed: Link: findyourwords.org/support-someone-with-depression/what-to-say-to-someone
- About 75 percent of mental health illnesses start by the age of 24
- Up to 20 percent of students are depressed
- 63 percent of students report having a mental health crisis on campus each year
- Stress among students continues to increase
If your stress is high and/or you have symptoms of one or more of the symptoms of mental health distress, you could benefit from the resources shared below. You also want to check-out free counseling at your school/college and those in your community.
In addition to mental health being a key factor in well-being, so is personality (take the assessment using the link below). If you scored high on Conscientiousness, then you have an increased chance of being more organized and mindful during college, and hence academically more successful.
If you scored higher on extroversion, you are likely to be happier than introverts, research shows. This could be ascribed, in part at least, to the resilience and joy of that often comes with having more human contact. This does increase the number of resources when things get challenging. But don’t worry, we’ll be actively building a network of support in the “creating meaningful relationships” page.
If you’re high on Narcissism (negative emotionality), and especially if you answered yes to one or more of the mental health questions below, consider talking with a mental health counselor.
The good news is that personality is changeable through intentional behavior that moves in the direction of the trait one desires more of (Hudson, et al., 2018). This is especially true during one’s youth. Also, mental illness is a condition that can be successfully addressed with the right kind of help. See the resources below.
Here is one method to reduce narcissism and/or increase happiness.
Activity #1:
Five Positive Events from this Past Week
1).
2).
3).
4).
5).
Five Things I’ve Done Well this Past Week
1).
2).
3).
4).
5).
Activity #2:
Next, please write a letter of gratitude to someone who has positively influenced your life. Consider using the following points in your letter:
- How they have helped, provide specifics
- When it happened - the timing
- Circumstances at the time
- How you felt
- And how it influences you today
Another way to increase your happiness and reduce negativity is through an “at least not” thinking perspective. This is the act of stating when something undesirable occurs, all the other negatives that didn’t go poorly.
The more you practice activities and methods the easier it will become and your mood will improve, increasing your happiness and success.
Here is a brief definition of each dimension of personality, which conveniently spells OCEAN and CANOE:
- Openness to Experience: the degree to which you seek new experiences.
- Conscientiousness: the degree to which you are aware of yourself and what’s around you.
- Extroversion: the degree to which you seek social experiences which give you energy.
- Agreeableness: the degree to which you are willing to get along with other people.
- Neuroticism / Negative Emotionality: the degree to which you have negative emotions and see things “in a negative light.
Resources for Personality:
Take the BigFive for yourself, until we get our funding and stuff up and running, here, you’ll get details too on your personality: https://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/
Resources for Mental Health:
Confidential Hotline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or [email protected]
Mental Health America: www.nmha.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: www.dbsalliance.org
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Six Things You Can Say to Someone Who is Depressed (Kim, J). Link: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culture-shrink/201507/6-things-you-can-say-support-someone-whos-depressed
What to Say to Someone Who's Depressed: Link: findyourwords.org/support-someone-with-depression/what-to-say-to-someone
“The cup is not half-full, it is burgeoning when being grateful.”
-Joe Dorri
-Joe Dorri