Dealing with mental illness or any personal issues can be difficult, especially for a student in college. With all the stress from classes, it can be hard for students to balance academics while trying to keep a positive attitude and a stable mental base.
But there are organizations like The Positivity Project to help boost student’s spirits during those stressful times.
“We believed that mental health and physical health go hand in hand. We often talk about self-care in our meetings,” Mia Johnson, president of The Positivity Project, said in an email. “Self-help and self-love are very important for everyone, but I would especially say (to) college students. The stress of College can trigger a lot of mental issues in a lot of students.”
The Positivity Project is an organization at Ohio University that strives to spread body positivity and self-love.
Jimmy Clark, a sophomore studying engineering technology and management, thought the organization would be something he would attend.
“To know someone else has been through something like that would be good, for students to have someone else to talk about these issues sounds pretty good,” he said.
Johnson said the organization originally began as a suggestion she received while tabling for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
“A girl came up to us and told us we should make a club about it, and so we did, extending our mission beyond eating disorders and into general body positivity,” she said in an email.
As a way to spread positivity, the organization likes to a have a lot of interactive discussions within its meetings. Some of the topics the group covers in the meeting include catcalling and Halloween costumes.
“The body positivity part is very apparent in the events we promote like, NEDA Walk/NEDA Week, but we do a lot of discussion on body positivity in our actual meetings. We try to make our discussions as interactive as possible, and we try to attach a theme to each discussion,” she said in an email.
As a psychology major, Johnson finds mental health very important and makes that a big part of the Positivity Project’s mission.
Johnson encourages students to stay updated on Twitter for events the Positivity Project will be hosting for Love Yourself Week. Those who would like to learn more about The Positivity Project can follow the organization on Twitter @Positivity_OU and on Facebook at Positivity Project OU.
“I pride myself on providing a safe space for my members in our meetings. Nothing is off limits when we are in that room, and when we leave that room we don’t ever have to talk about it again. I’ve had people tell me that they feel they are in a more positive and upbeat mood just after doing an activity or getting something off their chest,” Johnson, a senior, said in an email.
Savannah Bisson, a sophomore studying wildlife conservation, thought the organization seemed interesting.
“People don’t have that kind of self-help outlet on campus, so it's good to have something to help people deal with their problems,” she said.
