Depression and anxiety are seen to be extremely common in school and college students. Trapped between being treated as a teenager and being expected to behave like an adult, these individuals may start feeling unappreciated and alone. “Depression and anxiety are like flip sides of the same coin, says therapist Nancy B. Irwin, PsyD. “Being depressed often makes us anxious, and anxiety often makes us depressed.”
Moreover, the idea that no one cares or that life has no purpose can also be emotionally damaging for them. Hence, it is important for them to find new ways of adding meaning to life; joining a school club or group can be the first step towards it. According to Eric R. Maisel Ph.D., “We experience emotional distress in all sorts of ways – as sadness, anxiety, addictions, unproductive obsessions, unwanted compulsions, repetitive self-sabotaging behaviors, physical ailments, boredom, and various angry, bleak, and agitated moods.”
What Do School Clubs Do?
School clubs are basically similar to an organization or entity created by a group of school students supporting a certain cause or purpose. One can find a vast range of club with different activities in a school. Students can choose to join a music club, a group of writers or perhaps people campaigning for environmental protection. Each school club engages in various activities ranging from sports events, fundraising bake sales and even exposure trips.
How can club activities add meaning to your life?
- Social interaction
Club activities can place one in close exposure to people sharing similar passions, providing great opportunities to talk to someone about one’s interests. The right kind of social interaction also allows one to grow not only as an emotionally strong person but an intellectual one as well. Psychologist Susan Pinker stated, “Direct person-to-person contact triggers parts of our nervous system that release a “cocktail” of neurotransmitters tasked with regulating our response to stress and anxiety.
Furthermore, participating in school club activities will allow one to make new friends and interact with like-minded people. This socializing is extremely important for realizing one is not alone in this world and there are others who also have alike beliefs.
- Pursuing your passion
For someone who wants to join the basketball team or perhaps become an environmental lawyer, a school club can be a great place to start figuring out what one wants to do in life. It can also provide you with the opportunity of realizing your hobbies into something more worthwhile and productive. Organizing tree plantations or cleanliness campaigns can help you understand what you might experience in a certain field or career.
- Stepping into the real world
Most school students hear their parents and teachers tell them about how hard practical or real life is. School club activities are a great way to get a taste of their reality. As students or youngsters, one may not realize the complexity of the outside world and may even feel overwhelmed when exposed to it after student life ends. Hence, school clubs which operate in a fairly similar manner to small businesses, provide students a chance to test their aptitude and skills, as well as also figure out what they are best in doing.
- Supporting a cause
Almost all school clubs have a designated goal that the members plan on achieving every year. Whether it is supporting the local basketball team or women’s rights, this cause can mean a lot to the members of the club; hence, mostly also being the reason for their membership. The club activities are also designed to support and ascend this aim further. Therefore, in most cases being part of these club activities can make one feel productive as well as valued.
- Healthy activity
Instead of wasting time on the internet binge-watching a random television series or perhaps engaging in dangerous behavior involving drug abuse and bullying, school clubs offer students a way of using their time learning new things. School club activities allow one to meet new people and question old ideas. It helps in building responsible individuals who have a sense of purpose and ambition in life. Plus, participation in school club activities also definitely looks good on their student profiles.