It is a known fact that students are getting more and more depressed as time moves forward. There is suicide in the news, fights bursting out in the cafeteria, and in many of our advisory periods we have spent discussing depression and suicide. One major cause of this rise of depression is mindset. The way a person thinks and believes has a drastic effect on what they will continue to think. Psychologists refer to this as the cognitive behavioral theory.

“We often think that just helping one individual or one thing in the world, how’s that going to make a difference? That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Everyone’s valuable, and as we help one person that can grow and help others,” counselor Kristen Little said.

Having a positive mindset and being optimistic has become quite a sight to behold in this day and age. Thanks to the website ​psychologytoday.com,​ I received several tips on changing any self-criticism and replacing it with praise.

The first tip is to be mindful. Students have to be aware that there is a problem and be open to fixing it. They will have to remind themselves that these negative thoughts are only in their mind and not solid facts.

“As soon as you notice yourself going down the path of self-criticism, gently note what is happening, be curious about it, and remind yourself these are thoughts, not facts,” psychologytoday.com said.

Another key thing for students is to stop comparing themselves to others. Comparing oneself to another only causes self-criticism. Just because a student may appear happy on social media does not mean they are so in real life. Sometimes they may even be more miserable.

Students should master their own crafts. Each person has their own personal talents, such as music, art, or acting. These are known to boost a students confidence and in ways it is a good way to make friends.

An important tip to remember is that a person is not made up of their circumstances. Some people grow a fear that they will lose whatever good thing that comes their way, simply because that is how life has been. A student can have no money, no job, and nothing going good for themselves, yet they can still rise above that and make something of themselves.

With the depression epidemic, the unlikeliest cure could be self-love. Maybe eventually we can all help each other to cherish themselves until this can be considered just another era in a history book. That is if enough people decide to value themselves. Cherishing oneself is a lot of hard work and takes a lot of time, but it is not an effort gone unnoticed by anyone around those who participate.