We may have all heard of mental health a lot because it plays such an important role in anyone’s life, but do we actually know the definition? Mental health involves the emotional, psychological, and social well-being that affects how we think, feel, and act.

There are so many factors that go into mental health like mood swings, stressors, how we feel our quality of sleep, and our social lives. As college students, we struggle with a lot of stress, anxiety, and worry trying to keep our grades up the highest we can while trying to balance working one or more jobs to pay for our education, social life with our family and friends, and self care for our own sake to relax and wind down after a long and stressful day of classes being online, in-person, or both.

There are so many great resources that can offer help in these areas within the Illinois Valley area, such as those discussed in this article.

IVCC Counseling Center in Oglesby and Ottawa: Going to the Counseling Center is not only a place for students to discuss their classes as they move further into their college education, but also a place where students are able to talk to licensed counselors about any issues interfering with their lives and learn how to cope with the ups and downs of life.

Counseling Center Oglesby: 815-224-0360

Counseling Center Ottawa: 815-224-0800

Project Success: A branch of student services to help those who are low income, have challenges with college, have a disability, or are single parents. This is an amazing resource to have. In this program, there are tons of workshops about navigating college life as far as how to get good grades and helping to prepare for a four-year university. There are also other resources like having your own counselor to help you succeed in college.

The counselors are Chris Herman, Cynthia Cardosi, and Diane Scoma. Some other perks to joining this program are having a chance to study with computers, printing out essays or notes without a cost, and being able to borrow a laptop if yours breaks. Contact 815-224-0594 to be in Project Success.

North Central Behavioral Health Systems: A counseling center where people can feel safe to discuss their struggles with whatever is going on in their life. This can help those who struggle with anxiety or depression and many more mental illnesses and can give coping skills and other resources to better yourself. The options are via Zoom or in-person with a one-on-one counselor. To schedule a first time appointment call 815-224-1610.

ADV SAS: A program that helps people who are going through domestic violence, sexual assault, substance abuse. This was originally founded in the 1970’s when there were two women who were struggling and noticed that there was not a safe place for victims to feel secure. Before it was open, there was tons of trial and error. If you are a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or are struggling with substance abuse, call 800-892-3375.