{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-tsx","path":"/primementalhealthandreligion","result":{"data":{"primeArticle":{"slug":"prime.mentalhealthandreligion","excerpt":"Students and religious leaders discuss the impacts of religious communities on mental health and identity formation amid hustle culture.","headline":"Between Belief and Burden","author":"Katarina Baumgart","authorbio":"","authoremail":"","authortwitter":"","coverimg":"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.mentalhealthandreligion/IMG_3222-b01011246681cafec55486c342442d0e.jpeg","covercred":"Yuri Mansukhani and Helen Juwon Park","coveralt":"","articleType":"article","updated":"This post was updated Sept. 15 at 8:00 a.m.","content":[{"type":"text","value":"Editor's note: For the writing of this piece, the Daily Bruin attempted to contact groups across multiple world religions. The Bruin was unable to schedule interviews with members of groups identifying as Buddhist."},{"type":"line","value":"{\"filler\":\"filler\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Google Calendar packed, innumerable assignments to complete and even more cold emails to send. When one gets checked off the list, another obligation quickly takes its place. The burnout is becoming unignorable, but students can’t afford to have a mental breakdown – that variable won’t fit into their 50-point plan to secure a summer internship."},{"type":"text","value":"\"(It’s like,) ‘I can't afford to not be well in this way, almost because it doesn't look good on my resume,’\" said Stuart Wilson-Smith, describing the student culture he noticed as a priest at the University Catholic Center at UCLA.\"If there's something that keeps students from coming forward sooner, it's just pressure. It's just the sheer amount of pressure to do well, to succeed, to not go off course and to not let the unexpected sort of throw a wrench into your life.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Students may begin to wonder if the pressure will end once they achieve the goals they've been tirelessly working towards. Because if you fail to secure your future, that grade, that crucial connection, who are you? And what are you worth without it?"},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"If there's something that keeps students from coming forward sooner, it's just pressure.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Balancing academic pressures and identity stressors in college can make prioritizing mental wellness feel impossible. For some, religion-based communities create a space for them to breathe. Whether engaging in prayer and fellowship, studying scripture or consulting mentors within UCLA’s religious organizations, students and faculty report mental health benefits from practicing religion. However, some find certain cultural practices or beliefs within these communities harmful to their mental well-being. Others highlight the changes they desire to see at UCLA, from fostering greater religious acceptance among students to supporting the nuanced overlap of cultural and religious identities."},{"type":"text","value":"For some students and faculty, practices in their faith and campus religious organizations implicitly foster mental wellness. Anastasios Tasigeorgos, alumnus and former president of Orthodox Christian Fellowship at UCLA, said true health in orthodoxy means meeting the needs of the mind, body and spirit – a long-held teaching that distinguishes between struggles with spirituality and mental illness and encourages seeking proper care."},{"type":"text","value":"Wilson-Smith said practicing religion can help individuals develop a balanced self-perception – which cognitive behavioral therapy also promotes – by fostering a core belief of inherent self-worth. As students reflect on who they are and want to be in college, this perspective can help them better manage poor mental health and other stressors, he added."},{"type":"text","value":"Alumnus Liana Nitka said the Jewish practice of Sabbath, or Shabbat, plays an important role in combating societal expectations around work and rest. Because she’s surrounded by a culture that emphasizes constant productivity, Shabbat reminds her of the importance of taking an entire day to relax, Nitka said. This Jewish practice promotes the idea that every person, regardless of their background, success or failure, deserves rest, relaxation and renewal, said Toba Schaller, a rabbi and the director of student life for Hillel at UCLA."},{"type":"text","value":"Some also noted how specific religious practices like prayer and confession can foster mental wellness. Clyde Villacrusis, the co-executive director of the Kawan Pilipino Catholic Association, said praying to God helped him cope and gradually heal after a friend died. The fourth-year computer science and linguistics and computer science student added that confession brings him relief and inspires self-improvement, both for his and others’ benefit. Tasnim Jahan, a fourth-year psychobiology student, said the Islamic practice of praying five times a day cultivates a daily habit of self-reflection, helping her focus on her faith in God over academic stressors."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"An illustrated stack of blue books and loose papers is stacked in front of a grey background.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.mentalhealthandreligion/prime.randmhbooks-e74344052fdcba48832b8368eea754c4.png\",\"credit\":\"Yuri Mansukhani/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"In addition to mental health benefits, scripture can also improve students’ attitudes in the face of setbacks or rejections, said Srivarsha Rayasam, a fourth-year cognitive science student and the internal vice president at Bruin Hindus. Citing the Bhagavad Gita, she said that she strives to do her best academically while remaining detached from the results, as she believes everything will happen according to God’s plan. Bruin Hindus’ chaplain, or Swamiji, also discusses scripture in the context of student life during their Dharma Discussions, Rayasam added. Overall, she said the club serves as a community and moral anchor in college, fostering and supporting members’ mental well-being through these resources and initiatives."},{"type":"text","value":"Harshobit Khinda, a third-year public health student and the co-president of Sikh Student Association, seeks to create a safe space for the Sikh student population at UCLA. Through speaker-led scripture studies, worship nights or early morning group prayers, the association strives to bring students closer to their faith and help them integrate Sikh practices into everyday life."},{"type":"text","value":"Having grown up in a smaller, tight-knit religious community, alumnus Sulaimanshah Syed said he was inspired to create a space for UCLA’s Muslim community through co-founding the UCLA chapter of The Shifa Society of Muslim Pre-Health Students. Jahan, who is now the society’s president, said it hosts talks with medical professionals, who share stories about the experience of navigating their careers while practicing the Islamic religion, such as through wearing religious attire. She added that the society cultivates a unique space for pre-health students who identify as Muslim, enabling them to vocalize and connect over the struggles that come with their identities."},{"type":"text","value":"Having religious mentor figures in life – and during periods of poor mental health – can also be transformative for some. During a significant period of depression in his twenties, Wilson-Smith said a priest from his local parish anointed and prayed for him when he felt distant and unrelatable to others. The priest’s humanization of Wilson-Smith helped him extend that same grace and patience to himself, he added."},{"type":"text","value":"\"To have someone lay their hands on your head and pray for the Holy Spirit to come down on you – to touch the oil to your forehead and to your hands – is just a very beautiful moving thing,\" Wilson-Smith said. \"I never felt closer to Jesus, I think, than I did in that moment. And it's also when I think I knew I hoped to be able to give that gift to other people.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Alumnus Michael Suh, the former president of Global Medical Missions Alliance at UCLA said the campus provides a unique space for discovering or grappling with religion because of the open conversation and dialogue the campus fosters between different groups of people. For Villacrusis, experiencing Simbang Gabi, a series of masses celebrating Christ’s birth, at the University Catholic Center encouraged him to grow closer to his faith in college because it reminded him of traditions he grew up around in the Philippines."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"Opening up the conversation about religious diversity will bring more awareness to the student body, hopefully fostering a more welcoming environment.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Similarly, Rayasam was hesitant to engage with Hinduism before college, but grew closer to her faith during her second year at UCLA. In high school, she experienced an internal conflict because she was around peers who saw religion in a negative light, though she had a positive perception of her own religious parents. She said balancing extreme portrayals of religion is important to her because stigmas can eclipse the long-term benefits of faith – including for mental health."},{"type":"text","value":"Stereotypes associated with religious symbols can also create issues for practicing Sikhs, Khinda said. For instance, Sikh students may wear turbans or abstain from cutting their hair, leading to an appearance that other students may discriminate against, she added. Although it can build a level of resilience against outside opinions, Khinda said that many individuals may experience insecurity and poor mental health as a result of these stereotypes."},{"type":"text","value":"\"Opening up the conversation about religious diversity will bring more awareness to the student body, hopefully fostering a more welcoming environment, or at the very least, a more aware environment,\" Khinda said."},{"type":"text","value":"While those who practice religion can experience poor mental health due to external perceptions of their faith, they also report tensions arising within their communities."},{"type":"text","value":"In religious communities, discrepancies between who is seen as a true member of a religion can be a point of contention, Schaller said, challenging the self-perception of converts or others who do not meet certain conventions. In Orthodox Christian communities, Tasigeorgos said experiences of otherness can be further exacerbated when religious services are given in other languages such as Greek or Arabic. This can make religious teaching less accessible for individuals that exist outside of the cultural majority, he added."},{"type":"text","value":"Schaller also said some interpretations of Judaism can cause conflicts for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. Traditionally, some interpretations of Judaism have created separations based on gender, she said, which can create struggle for individuals whose identities exist outside of those delineations."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"A side profile of a head containing a brain is illustrated on top of a dark purple background.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.mentalhealthandreligion/prime.randmhhead-461a67e5cfebbff1ec42d8ee7ebe0add.png\",\"credit\":\"Yuri Mansukhani/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"In Jahan’s experience, harmful cultural beliefs about mental health can be presented as religious principles, especially among older Muslim communities. She said this can lead to stigmas around seeking professional support, which is often considered weak or something to be hidden. Khinda said because Punjabi culture and the Sikh faith are very intertwined, such cultural taboos around discussing mental health can extend into religious spaces and lead to the suppression of emotional needs, especially among men."},{"type":"text","value":"\"I don't think a majority of them (Sikh Student Association members) would reach out to those services just because we're scared of, for example, cultural competence,\" Khinda said. \"How do we know if those issues will even be properly translated to the person that we're speaking to? If they will truly understand what we're going through because there's a cultural and a religious barrier there?\""},{"type":"text","value":"Fears around secular mental wellness practices can be an additional barrier to students pursuing help. Wilson-Smith said opposition to seeking secular resources often arises due to cultural ideas and attitudes entrenched in religious communities, rather than inherent conflicts between the religion and supporting mental well-being. This can include beliefs that poor mental health is a spiritual ailment or deficiency, which can deter younger individuals from confiding in parents for fear of judgment."},{"type":"text","value":"\"There's often that fear behind it that's implicit – if they (religious individuals) seek outside of the faith, supposedly, then they're going to leave God behind,\" Wilson-Smith said. \"[It’s] this weird mutual exclusivity and so it is going to take more people to stand up and say, ‘No, it doesn't need to be that way.’\""},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"If that works for you, then use your religion to be that source of grounding, but … it doesn’t always have to be the religious path.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Moreover, students and experts alike promote a multifaceted approach to mental wellness and advocate for greater collaboration between religious leaders and mental health professionals, recognizing the ways these spheres can intersect and complement one another."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"An illustration of a student holding a backpack walking through a forest.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.mentalhealthandreligion/prime.randmhwalk-f13dd04d4e8f33282f994bcdf6774da6.png\",\"credit\":\"Yuri Mansukhani/Daily Bruin staff, Helen Juwon Park/Illustrations director\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Rayasam said she encourages everyone to consistently engage in practices that encourage mental wellness and that, for those who choose to engage with it, religion can be a beneficial addition. Victor Narro, who teaches Labor Studies 177: \"Spirituality, Mindfulness, Self-Care, and Social Justice,\" said he encourages students to explore their relationships with religion and spirituality in the journey towards mental wellness."},{"type":"text","value":"\"If that works for you, then use your religion to be that source of grounding,\" he said. \"But if you're not connected to a religion, then create something based on the teachings out there to create your own spiritual path. It doesn't always have to be the religious path.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Narro added that further collaboration between religious and mental health leaders would better serve the student population. When institutions better understand their roles, goals and parameters, it makes those partnerships more meaningful and effective, he said."},{"type":"text","value":"There is no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting mental well-being or treating poor mental health, said Diana Winston, the director of UCLA Mindful, an organization dedicated to providing and advancing mindfulness education. Standard medical care, including medication and evidence-based interventions, can be effective but also come with limitations. She said this emphasizes the benefits of having a multitude of treatment options. Wilson-Smith said religious leaders should recognize their ability to provide aid in the emotional and spiritual realm and encourage students to seek professional psychological support when necessary."},{"type":"text","value":"While pursuing mental health support can be a challenging endeavor, Schaller ultimately encouraged individuals to explore the strengths and diversity of conversations that different entities can support."},{"type":"text","value":"\"A therapist will always offer you amazing tools to help you work through that and make sense of that and handle it in your body, but a rabbi will give you a prayer and we'll ask you about God,\" Schaller said. \"I highly recommend a balance of all.\""}]}},"pageContext":{"term":"summer25","slug":"prime.mentalhealthandreligion"}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}