COMBATING ANXIETY, STRESS AT MHCC

Mt. Hood Community College is not your normal college.

In my eyes, it’s small; smaller than my school in 8th grade, in fact. It’s green, literally. Not only is there an amazing pond, surrounding woods, and a view of Mount Hood that will take your breath away, but it is also the first community college in the nation to get certified as “salmon safe.” We are lucky to have access to programs as beautiful and complex as the surrounding flora and fauna: Forest Resources, Fisheries Technology, Cosmetology, Funeral Services, and Integrated Media are a few of the programs offered that are out of this world. We also have a planetarium.

Students here are like the school – diverse, and not at all what we might seem on the surface. And with so many options for education, one’s head can spin. Even with outside help, anxieties can still get the best of us. Our minds and our body chemistry affect how we interact with the world around us. Anxiety can cause problems, such as retaining what you learn, and health problems are among the negative repercussions of stress.

Mental health is a crucial aspect of success. And, just like us students, it comes in many varieties of flavors.

Being a student with mental health differences, then, I had to make sure to do my best to keep stress down.

In this column, I want to share how we all have tools, helpful programs, and people at Mt. Hood to help us succeed. I believe we can all graduate; the low graduation rate for MHCC does not have to be. Stress, anxiety, and taking on too much without proper help can set a person up for failure, however.

I am as diverse as can be, internally, and have my own sets of anxieties. But I did everything I could to make sure I achieve success, with less stress.

Here’s how:

The summer before my first year, I visited the MHCC Career Counseling service to help me get started. I started classes half-time, to make sure I was not overwhelming myself. I also signed up for a math class below what I tested into, knowing I could learn better and get the concepts down.

Knowing I could not do this alone, I made sure to use the school resources, aware that not all colleges offer the same. In not just academics, but also in other areas of life, I have benefited from the programs offered, such as free counseling services. Although scheduled appointments are preferred, there were a few times I just walked in and was seen right away.

The Diversity Resource Center in the Student Union offers calm places to sit. The DRC allows you to be the different you that you can be, as well as offer a safe, calm place for prayer and other spiritual needs. Part of mental health and success requires places where individuals can just “be,”  and be safe in their differences, without fear or judgment.

There is also a SNAP program on campus (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) that not only helps students apply for food stamps, but also offers TriMet bus tickets and grants for the financially strained. I am classified as a disabled individual (I prefer the term “different” over disabled) and have been getting amazing help through the Accessible Education Services (the former Disability Services) office on campus.

The Veterans Services staff are amazing. Although I myself am not a vet, I have interacted with them and they kind of blew my mind with the resources and support they offer to vets.

Academic Advising can help students with class placement, developing education plans, one-on-one advising, and other various support.

The AVID center offers free tutoring, quiet space, college resource connections, and scholarship help, just to name a few remarkable services.

The Orientation Center helps with starting the school journey at Mt. Hood: Just take your college placement test and pay them a visit, to get started.

Not all services or programs offered to students at MHCC are mentioned here. There is way too much help than can be covered in one article, but the services I did mention can connect you to more.

This school is amazing, with an amazing amount of support from all the resources and people here.

Thinking of the inspiring posters on campus, I know together we can all achieve the dream, and “be” it.