Mental Health - Mini Series Part 1

A Mini Series on Mental Health

The concepts covered in this mini series are relevant to grad school, and several other positions or stages in your career or life (for example - post doc, early career, and beyond). Mental, emotional, and physical health are important for each of us throughout our life, however, in a graduate school setting many of us can put these on the back burner, so we will spend some time in a mini series discussing some of these topic areas. 

Part 1: Introduction to mental health, why is it important and how to prioritize your health above other external pressures you may face during your graduate education (and beyond).

1. 1. 1. Mental health is a very broad topic, so let’s first start with what we mean by health in this context, and why we believe it is important enough for an entire mini series. 

      2. Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being (mentalhealth.gov reference!). Mental health impacts our thoughts, feelings, actions, and even our physical health/well-being. How we handle stress, relationships, and the actions we choose all are impacted by our mental health. 

      3. What are the factors that contribute/influence our mental health? 

         1. Family history/biology

         2. Experiences 

      4. What should we consider when entering into graduate school (related to mental health)? 

         1. Why ‘seeking help’ is you prioritizing yourself and your health, and not something to be ashamed of or a weakness - in fact, it means you are strong, smart, and making healthy choices for yourself.

         2. How? What resources are available to you?

         3. Knowing yourself and your response to stressful or mentally taxing relationships, situations, etc.

         4. ‘Warning’ signs

         5. Seeking help 

• ‘man’s search for meaning’ (title of a book by Victor Frenkel - the main ‘jist’ was that maintaining hope and believing in yourself and that you matter is essential to surviving) - it is easy to get lost in day-to-day struggles, and feel you are not contributing or have feelings of ‘what i am doing is meaningless’. Taking a step back to understand what each of us seeks at a basic human level can help place your ‘struggle’ in perspective.

 

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