Almost every student has had a time in college when they were really down. A run of bad grades can trigger such a time. A break-up in a relationship is another likely cause of a down period. Problems at home can also create these problems.

What you need to be careful of is to not let these down moments create a permanent scar on your academic record. Here are some suggestions for overcoming the blues:

1. Seek help from someone who can get you back on track. See the topic: Developing an Academic Power of Attorney. What you need to do is to put yourself in the hands of this person and do everything you are told to do.
2. Write down your feelings. The process of describing your feelings can be cathartic. Often just simply writing down what you are thinking can suggest a way to recover from the blues.
3. Visualize a resolution. Most interviews ask behavioral questions. A very typical one is: “Describe a moment in your life when you were really challenged and what you did to overcome the challenge.” Think about your current situation. Now write down your response to the interview question. Your hypothetical response is a great way to see a way out of the blues.
4. Seek out professional counseling. Most campuses have a counseling center with professionals who have helped students deal with these issues. If your blues are persistent, you need to see out the help of others.
5. Start small to recover. Sometimes the best step to getting over the blues is the smallest step. Simply going to class is a great way to start your recovery.
6. Look for small signs of recovery. It’s unlikely that you will see major changes in your grades, but small signs will be evident (turning in assignments on time, attending every class).
7. Be kind to others – Doing nice things for others is a great way to feel better about yourself and in turn overcome a sense of the blues.
8. Look for moments of joy rather than reasons for sorrows. Often you won’t overcome the blues until you start finding reasons to be happy. There are plenty of reasons to be happy every day, you just need to be receptive to them.

For many students, college is the first time they have every faced situations they felt an inability to handle. The strategies outlined above have been very useful to students.

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