Mental Health Tsunami

• You’re living in an academic pressure cooker, bombarded with relentless messaging from schools, parents and the media to “do your best” at literally everything.
• With academic demands, social lives and part-time jobs, many of you are running on fumes and chronically sleep-deprived.
• Of course, social media is a huge part of your daily lives, contributing to everything from FOMO to more extreme mental and physical health struggles.

So what do you do? Start by scheduling dedicated screen-free time for yourself (and your friends, if you can convince them) and identify consistent sources of support, such as school or private counselors. Also, when you do go online, seek out positive messaging and creative or educational content to balance your digital experiences.

The College Conundrum

• Financial stress and potential debt are your top concerns and heavily influence your choices about higher education.
• You’re worried about getting into your college of choice, but you’re also worried about being able to keep up with the work once you’re there.
• Homesickness is real, even for those of you who are excited to live somewhere new. Adjusting to independent living is a major source of stress.

So what do you do? Share your worries with friends and family — they may have similar fears or experience solving these problems. Don’t forget to explore all pathways to education, too. Florida has tons of financial assistance for workforce education and transfer programs. Also, call your mom.

Job Market Jitters

• You’re facing stiff competition for jobs — especially against older, more experienced applicants.
• Lots of you are balancing work and school (including extracurriculars), impacting your stress, and leaving little time for rest and self-care.
• Those of you who have just started college are already feeling anxious about finding a job after graduation. Gotta make it all worth it, right?

So what do you do? Focus on the positives wherever possible. Jobs will help you become financially independent and even entry-level jobs can teach you valuable soft skills. Also, teen hiring is holding steady in Florida, so stay local!