The end of the school year or semester can be incredibly stressful for college students. Most students feel a certain degree of pressure and stress, but it’s also not uncommon for it to start to take a darker turn toward depression. Depression is extremely common among college students, but there are lots of ways to cope. I wanted to take a few minutes to just talk about few simple things you can do to combat depression even during the busy end of the semester hubub.

1) Get Creative!

Go outside with a camera and take pictures of anything green. Turn on some music and start dancing. Play with play doh (trust me-this is way more fun for adults than you realize!). Even just 5-10 minutes of expressing your creativity can break up the seriousness of studying and help you feel less depressed. The point is, find some way to get in touch with your creative side and express yourself.

2) Try a new hobby

You don't have to become an expert at your chosen hobby, but try finding something that you've always wanted to learn and dedicate 20 minutes a day towards it. It can be fun, give you a sense of accomplishment and help you relieve stress! For example, you may download a new game app, borrow your roommate’s guitar to teach yourself a little bit from youtube videos or try to bake a study break snack.

3) Do something nice for someone else

Doing good deeds is one of the best ways to lift your mood and make yourself feel better. You'll also improve other people's lives by creating more happy people in the world! Sometimes all people need is a kind word or gesture to brighten their day. It could even inspire them to return the favor--accomplishing mutual happiness! But regardless of how the other person reacts, just knowing you've contributed to improving someone else's day can be a nice little boost for your own mood.

4) Make plans with friends or family

Depression is often described as "feeling numb" or feeling disconnected from reality. Depression can stretch out the time it feels like you're alone for, but if you force yourself to interact with others you'll remember how great it feels to connect. If you fully immerse yourself into a fun experience with a friend or family member, you may become distracted from the stress of finals or you may feel more grounded as a person and therefore more motivated. See if you can make time to swing by a family member’s house for dinner, text a classmate to commiserate , hit the gym with a buddy mid-week or make a tik tok video between classes.

5) Don't wait too long to seek help from a mental health professional

It's easy to put off treatment when you feel hopeless and helpless. Depression treatment is very effective, but it only works when you take the first step. Depression doesn't discriminate-it affects people of all backgrounds and walks of life. But it can get better. You deserve support and a therapist is trained to help you overcome depression. They give you a safe space to talk about your feelings, give you new coping skills and help you see things in a different way.