I want to let you in on a little secret that I’ve found goes alarmingly disregarded by a sizable chunk of college women I interact with: missing a day at the gym will not cause your physique to be thrown to the wind. Indulging in your guilty fast-food pleasure of choice every once in a blue moon will not mean the end of your “diet” as you know it (I put diet in quotations because that word’s definition is so vaguely understood and interpretively used). When the last throes of autumn eventually start to slip away and you’re craving that pumpkin latte, get it.

I have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of a severe imbalance in diet and workout. This lack of moderation, when taken to an extreme, is detrimental to both your physical and mental well-being, and it also takes a toll on the people around you. Anyone who has been there, on either side, knows the frustration and helplessness I’m speaking of.

Do yourself a favor: don’t blow off the whole moderation thing. There really is something to it, I promise. Also, just as a general disclaimer, I am not a licensed professional in the fields of either physical or mental health; I write solely based on my experiences and observations, supplemented by outside research. Please do not hesitate to seek professional help if you feel one of these areas of your life needs due attention.

According to Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Michael E. Silverstein of Rowan’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center, there’s no need.

“Sometimes people associate mental illness with violence,” Silverstein said. “The vast majority doesn’t act violently.”

This has been a hot topic in light of recent events with the Tucson, AZ shootings by 22-year-old college student Jared Loughner. While his actions proved to be extreme, news sources across the country have labeled Loughner, “a lunatic, crazy and insane.” These are words that the mental health community is trying so desperately to eradicate.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has a tab on their website on ways to educate you on becoming a “StigmaBuster.” The site gives guidelines to reporting local and Internet slander against those with a mental illness.

Silverstein says that most mental illness manifests at the college age, whether it be from hormones or stress.  Often times, students will go to the counseling center with interpersonal, social and relationship issues, he says.

But, Silverstein admits, “We’re seeing greater number of students come in with serious mental illness than in the past.”

Perhaps the force of stigma isn’t as deafening as once thought. With more and more commercials and campaigns televised and circling the Internet, it’s a sign of progress. At one point last semester, Silverstein reported that 98 people were on the waiting list to be seen by a counselor or psychologist.

Silverstein says freshmen have an especially hard time, and seek help with the counseling center.

“All of the structures that were there before, are gone,” Silverstein said.

Simple routines such as eating, sleeping and social habits transform as a student enters college. Most, he says become lonely. A busy schedule is one many can relate to, but add drugs and alcohol, and a nagging case of depression or other mood disorder to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

According to a survey out of UCLA, emotional health of incoming college students dropped to record lows in 2010. “Only 51.9 percent of students reported that their emotional health was in the ‘highest 10 percent’ or ‘above average,’ a drop of 3.4 percentage points from 2009 and a significant decline from the 63.6 percent who placed themselves in those categories when self-ratings of emotional health were first measured in 1985,” according to the Higher Education Research Institute.

Aside from being labeled by others in a negative way, some students’ cultural backgrounds stop them from seeking help. Silverstein says there is research being done to study the stigma of mental health in Japan and in African Americans. There’s also an emphasis on men. Silverstein says most males are too stubborn to talk about what’s troubling them. But, he says to answer this question: “If you break a leg, do you set it yourself? What is so different about asking for help?”

Silverstein would like everyone to understand, “What counseling is – is it’s not just listening, but helping students problem solve, relaxation skills, stress management and coping skills with drinking and drugging.”

Group sessions are now available for those suffering from anxiety, eating disorders or body image issues, social issues and stress associated with drugs, alcohol and self-injury. Like any off-campus counseling centers, all sessions will be kept confidential unless you are at risk for harming yourself or someone else.

For more information about the counseling center call at extension 4222 from on campus or visit rowan.edu/counseling.

In these cold months, daylight hours have lessened, and stressors are at every corner. It’s one thing to be sad over your last breakup, the bad grade you got last week, or the disappointing news you received on the phone from family. It’s another to let it dig its way into your mind so deep that you find yourself not doing the things you once enjoyed, staying cooped up in your bedroom, and find yourself thinking things that surprise even yourself.

First, understand you are not alone. Everyone has their own baggage, both on this campus and out in the real world. Whether you’re a commuter, live on campus, are traditional or non-traditional students, it is good to understand this: everyone is different. The pretty girl or cute guy sitting across from you that seems to have it all together, but may not. Passing judgment on those whom you’ve never talked to before is a common mistake that we have all made.

Everyone gets sad sometimes, but when it becomes a thorn in your everyday life, it’s time to seek outside help. Unfortunately, despite constant news coverage and commercials, depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), along with other mental health issues often create a stigma that keeps many hiding in the dark. Talk to a trusted friend, and if you feel like you don’t have that type of friend, there is someone out there. Believe me.

If you’re not ready to seek help just yet and want to take care of things on your own for now, that’s okay, too. But don’t sit around and wait for the storm to pass. Get up and become active. Be realistic and understand some things aren’t easily changed. Make a list and force yourself to follow it. Keep a healthy sleep schedule.

If you still can’t shake the blues and feel like you don’t have a friend to talk to, or you’re worried about a friend, Rowan’s Counseling and Psychological Services in Savitz Hall can help. Go to rowan.edu/studentaffairs/counseling for more information.

Samantha Costa is a senior journalism major, pharmacy technician, and freelance writer for the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, N.J. While most columns have some factual information, it is not meant to serve as true professional medical advice. If you have any questions or need medical advice, contact the Student Health Center or your own doctor.

I ended up losing that boxing fight. I finished, but it was clear to everyone who had won. I yanked off the gloves and flopped down on the grass, exhausted.

Why am I telling this story? Because I learned something important: what it meant to have fear. I learned what it meant to be truly stressed and why my everyday life was killing me, one false alarm at a time.

Stress, because of its subjective nature, is hard to define. In general though, it can be called “a state of mental, emotional, or other strain; an environmental response.”

Stress comes in two varieties: eustress and distress. Eustress is the good kind that gets you pumped up before a big game and also triggers the fight or flight response (what gets you out of the way of a speeding car). Distress is the negative kind that happens when your brain’s normal routines are being constantly adjusted and altered.

We need stress, both negative and positive, to handle the changing world and survive. Many of us today are chronically stressed, constantly on edge or bouncing from peak to peak. We worry about grades, jobs, money and why our friend posted that Facebook status. We’re always afraid and we can’t handle it. This is why we burn our systems out.

The effects of too much stress are vast, both mental and physical. The American Institute of Stress lists some common symptoms as headaches, depression, anger and increased susceptibility to colds. If left untreated, stress can create anxiety disorders, heart disease, insomnia and a host of other serious conditions.

Many health professionals recommend any number of stress reducing techniques, like meditation, mindfulness or breathing exercises. While the effectiveness of these techniques is still being tested, the results so far have been largely positive. Studies show that even something as simple as a 20-minute walk outdoors or sitting in a quiet room can lower blood pressure and heart rate and raise cognitive ability.

I would recommend another, unorthodox step. You should not attempt to reduce stress, but rather to understand it. After my fight, I spent the rest of the week in a more relaxed state than I’d felt in months. Everyday trials didn’t seem to affect me like before. Like the famous “Fight Club” quote from Edward Norton said, “After fighting, everything else in your life gets the volume turned down.”

I’m not recommending that you punch the next person you see. I’m saying that everyone could use a wake-up call every now and then. It is this recognition of true, acute distress (as opposed to chronic distress) that can bring someone back to earth.  Try something challenging and nerve-wracking, like public speaking. Do anything that gets you out of your day-in, day-out, pressure-cooker lifestyle.

We all have stress, but we don’t have to ignore it or force it away. We can use it. Once you understand when it’s real and helpful you can wield it, then let go of it when it’s not. True health is a happy middle ground. You just have to figure out where that is for you.

“It’s getting to the time in the semester where we see a lot of students coming into the center,” said CPSC psychologist Sarah Whitman. “Many students are focusing on how to accomplish term papers and handle finals coming up.”

Whitman opened the seminar discussing what stress actually encompasses, focusing on the pressure and tension one feels due to certain circumstances. Stress stems from how an individual thinks and those thoughts will influence how one feels.

Stress can come from financial pressures, returning home to parents and the war affects one’s functioning.

“Just because finals are coming up doesn’t mean that there aren’t other things stressing us out,” Whitman said.

Illustrating how thoughts influence feelings, students participated in an exercise discussing how the term “Thanksgiving” impacts behavior.

“Thinking can influence feeling, thinking about the good food makes you salivate,” Whitman said. “But someone with an eating disorder, how might they feel? After losing a family member, someone might want to cry during the dinner.”

Aside from coming to terms with the holidays, many students face challenging exams and a laundry list of assignments. Whereas some students remain confident due to prior grades, others fight to stay positive in subjects they may have struggled with. She demonstrated the best way to approach stress is through management.

Whitman indicates many times anxiety provides the motivation students may sometimes lack.

“You cannot get rid of stress,” Whitman said. “It’s a part of our life. Sometimes stress is even helpful.”

Yet approaching stress appropriately remains central to success and good health.

The center published techniques to overcome anxiety. Such practices include relaxation exercises, which focus on clearing our mind and breathing cadence; exercise, a balanced diet, time management and evaluating thoughts will also help. Whitman says students should avoid generalizing or “catastrophyzing” experiences such as a poor test grade.

Overall, the Counseling and Psychological Services Center specializes in free counseling, crisis evaluation, consultation and psychiatric testing.

“More permanent ways of decreasing your stress takes focus and a little bit of time,” Whitman said. “The tricky part is staying with a specific goal and setting aside time to commit to it.”

Students can make appointments by calling extension 4222 or at the center located on the third floor of Savitz Hall.