February 'funk' amplifies stress, depression in students

By Renee Valentine
Staff Reporter According to the Jed Foundation, each year about 1,100 college students die by suicide.

Learning to recognize the early warning signs of depression can help to prevent such tragedies.

Nancy Badger, head counselor at the UTC Counseling and Career Placement Center, said, "the 'February Funk' visits campus each year.

According to Badger, "February Funk" is a "temporary malady" that sucks the energy out of students, causes students to be unmotivated in their school work, irritable with their friends and roommates, bored with activities they once enjoyed, and just generally depressed.

"Students become stressed around this time of year because they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel," she added in reference to the school work that often accumulates at this point in the semester, and the seemingly unending cold, dark weather.

Students are also prone to depression in February in particular because of what Badger refers to as the "Valentine's Day Curse."

"People who either don't have a significant other find Valentine's Day to be a very lonely time," Badger said, as do "people who have unrealistic expectations of their significant other on Valentine's Day."

Badger said that this so-called curse "can lead to feelings of rejection and loneliness and can damage relationships."

To combat the debilitating funk this month may bring, Badger suggests students "take some time out for themselves" to de-stress and pay attention to their coping skills.

Badger also warns against things that can trigger depression, such as "internalizing" stress or sacrificing sleep, good nutrition and quality time with friends.

According to Badger, if a student feels he or she has slipped into the "February Funk," he or she should talk to a friend rather than keeping it all inside.

Additionally, the student can use available resources such as the UTC Counseling and Career Placement Center.

"Sometimes I see a snowball effect-students get themselves into a spiraling staircase overwhelmed with their emotions and they don't know where to start as far as fixing things," Badger said.

Badger also said that the Counseling Center is connected to an emergency on-call system used by RAs in situations when a student becomes especially depressed or suicidal.

Badger said in such a situation, the counseling center will dispatch a counselor to the UTC residence and speak with the distressed student.

Valara Sample, a UTC Place Residence Life staff member, said "RAs host stress relieving programs to break the cabin fever and get people to know each other" at this time of year.

Laura Cecere, a senior from Gatlinburg, Tenn. and resident at UTC Place, said "I often take advantage of RA social events as a way to relax and take a break from the overloaded feeling from school, which has definitely affected me negatively in the past."

Sample also said while she hasn't come across any serious situations this semester, she often notices students spend more time inside around this time of year.

She indicated spending more time cooped up inside may lead to depression.

She also said she refers depressed residents to the counseling center.