I had the opportunity to interview 42 Lafayette students about their opinions of exercise as an alternative mental health treatment on college campuses for my honors psychology thesis.  I went into this project expecting to find barriers to physical activity and hesitation to using exercise as a coping strategy. Instead, the interviews largely centered on the mental health stigma on Lafayette’s campus, generated by both hustle culture and a culture of silence. Because there is an expectation that you must have an extreme commitment to your extracurriculars and achieve high academic standards (and if you’re not, then what are you doing?), mental health becomes less of a priority. Participants felt people ignore talking about the stresses that come with this expectation, and feel isolated when experiencing stress themselves. Participants often didn’t know how to ask for help because of the campus mental health culture.

In nearly every interview, someone mentioned that this was a cool and important conversation to have. Our one-hour conversation in Oeschle Hall broke the silence surrounding student mental health. Our interviews helped participants see that everyone deals with the same struggles … just no one is talking about it. If 42 Lafayette students feel this way, how are other Lafayette students doing?

College students everywhere are in a mental health crisis, and campus counseling centers are often left without the resources (staff, funds, etc) to provide for the increase in caseload. Exercise is an alternative that benefits both physical and mental health. Exercise reduces depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and leads to improved sleep, cognitive control, self-esteem, and more. Participants in my study reported that exercise gives them feelings of accomplishment, confidence, and motivation, and gives them a clear mindset and an outlet to regulate emotions and cope with stressors. Our interviews sparked an opportunity for participants to learn the mental health benefits of exercise, which further emphasizes how opening conversations about mental health benefits students. This one, in particular, taught them healthy behaviors. 

In addition to exercise as an option for managing mental health, participants generated ideas for initiatives that colleges could undertake that would make student health more of a norm on campuses. To increase physical activity, participants thought of expanding the gym to unused spaces in other campus buildings, providing events during spirit weeks like Rivalry Week, and increasing students’ motivation to exercise via strategies like offering a protein shake bar in the gym or sponsoring competitions with a pard dollar incentive. To increase mental health care, participants thought of expanding counseling center services (such as weekly email check-ins from counselors), hosting events to boost morale, and having a spa on campus. 

My study shows how willing students are to discuss mental health and create a healthy culture on campus when given the opportunity to speak. The administration must work to integrate these opportunities, to emphasize to students that although you can’t put self-care points on your resume, your mental health is a large part of your success. Lafayette is at a pivotal point. The administration is working on the Campus Master Plan, the gym is closing for the VP Debate, and the Counseling Center is in need of more funding. This is the time to lean into creative solutions to open conversations and cultivate a healthier environment for students.

Jess Langlois (she/her) is a senior psychology major and anthropology and sociology minor who will be getting her master’s in school counseling from Villanova University. She is conducting her honors psychology thesis on exercise as an alternative mental health treatment on college campuses.