What does mental health mean to The Daily?

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s also, coincidentally, a month often jam-packed with midterms, projects, darties and cursed group projects. Stanford students often bemoan the fast-paced crush of stress that is school under the quarter system.

In this listicle, we take a moment to share the ways students cope, look after our mental health and find the beauty amidst the chaos.

Chloe Shannon Wong ’28 

For me, sunshine and good mental health are synonymous. As a SoCal native who considers clouds and a mild drizzle “awful weather,” nothing lifts my spirits quite like a beautiful spring day. I’ll admit it: Whenever I’m stressed by homework or exams, my first instinct is to buckle down and self-isolate in my room. After all, the fewer distractions there are — the more efficiently I work — the more my mood will improve, right?

But as I’ve learned, shutting out the world (and turning my room into a pit of despair) isn’t actually conducive to happiness. Whenever that urge to “lock in” arises, I instantly tamp it down and seek out 15 minutes of sunshine. Whether I’m watching toddlers run circles around the roses at the Oval (adorable) or listening to birds chirping by Meyer Green (so majestic), as long as the sun’s glow envelops my face, I immediately feel so much more alive. It’s too tempting to let life shrink down to one big Canvas page — and it’s nice to remember Stanford is far bigger and brighter than that. 

Allie Skalnik ’26

The most valuable thing I’ve learned from Stanford is how important it is to be bad at things. It started with learning how to swim. On the first day of swim class, my instructor told us to swim to the other side — a predictable request that struck terror into every single one of us. We looked around at each other and laughed. We were there for a reason, because we knew we would drown if we tried. 

But try we did. Twice a week every week for twenty weeks, we tried. And we got better. It was a new feeling — showing up and week by week improving in leaps and bounds — because at that time I rarely attempted something I knew I was horrible at. Even rarer was not giving up immediately. 

The thing that improves my mental health the most is taking time to invest in my hobbies, especially the ones I struggle with. With every wonky crochet stitch, book I can barely finish and fabric snarled by a sewing machine, I’m learning how to be bad at things and revel in the satisfaction of improving day by day. 

Madisyn Cunningham ‘27

The moment I realized that I had been chasing a potential career instead of a passion was the moment my mental health began to flourish. I came into Stanford thinking I’d study CS — like many others — and looked forward to the automatic six figures awaiting me upon my graduation. What I failed to consider, however, was that I simply couldn’t see myself hunched over a computer for the rest of my life. I’d convinced myself that I could for so long, but the moment I allowed myself to accept that I wanted to study English, I felt free.

Yes, I struggle with the things you’d except going down this path. I question whether I’ll make enough money to sustain myself after Stanford — or if I’m realizing my full potential at a world-class institution by devoting my time to literature. Through all of the worries, though, I’ve never found myself asking whether I wanted to be doing what I was doing.

Grace Zhao ’27

Sunlight streaming through the leaves at Terman Fountain. Claw Runs under shady trees on Campus Drive. Discovering a bloom of apple blossoms sprouting near Tresidder on a rainy day.

Stanford is built like a resort, and that’s at once beautiful and grating. As someone who revels in the overgrown sprawl of East Coast woods, it’s a bit frustrating at times that every flower and bush on campus seems planned and trimmed to a tee. However, campus nature still holds spontaneous and fleeting moments of wonder, and I am glad each time I get to take a break from the bustle of classes to hold a dewy leaf or a sprig of wildflower or a perfect sunset, in my eye.

Blyss Cleveland, Ph.D. candidate

Whenever I read about high rates of anxiety and depression in the U.S., I cannot help but think about the decline in reading books and the drop in movie ticket sales — and how all these trends may be linked. 

I strongly believe that engaging with narratives and talking about them with other people is key to well-being. I enjoy watching movies at home, but I love striking up a casual conversation after exiting the theater at the end of a movie. Working up the courage to ask a fellow audience member “What did you think?” is one of my favorite forms of small talk. There is an attendant who works at one of my favorite theaters, and I try to see films at this location for the joy of trading movie recommendations. 

While I thought coming to Stanford would reduce my desire to read for pleasure, I have become more dedicated to taking time to read novels and talk about them with friends. Reading books and watching movies may not fix clinical issues or reduce anxiety about social problems, but these activities can make us feel more connected to ourselves and others.

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