With a lot on your plate, life as a student can get a little too stressful, and you often find yourself lacking personal time and burning yourself out. To maintain a healthy and productive life as a student, you should always prioritise your mental health and ensure you have enough personal time to care for yourself and your needs. Since a lot of students seem to struggle recently with maintaining a well-adjusted academic life, especially after the recent pandemic and everything the world’s been through as of late, we have compiled a few handy and important tips for students to properly manage their mental health, let’s delve into them together!
1. A Healthy Diet for A Healthy Mind
One of the main things that are guaranteed to help you feel better is aiming for a healthier and more balanced diet! This doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of eating out or the occasional comfort of a fried meal or a crunchy snack, it just means maybe adding a little bit of green to your everyday meals. Having a balanced meal schedule allows you to not only keep your body healthy and your mind alert, but also helps you better manage your time and stick to a routine that is bound to improve your mental well-being. Some of the most common tips for students, when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet, are prepping their meals in advance, making sure they save time and energy, and eating a healthy intake of vegetables and fruits!
2. Stay on Your Feet
Improved physical health has been shown to drastically improve your mental health. Staying active and on your feet doesn’t necessarily mean you need to get a gym membership or dedicate time to doing sports every day, it can be small things! You can start by walking to classes in the far buildings on campus, cycling to and from university, going on walks with friends in the park, or even walking to the grocery store! Exercise and activity might sound scary and like too much of a hassle, especially if your mental health isn’t in the best shape, so always remember that you can start small and set your own pace, it is not a competition!
3. Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
A lot of university students often overlook sleeping in order to work on overdue assignments and projects, which might negatively affect their mental health. We know it might be a struggle and you might be behind on some of your work, but try to dedicate at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. A good night’s sleep allows your mind to rest and recharge, which helps you stay alert during the day and maybe even catch up on the overdue work that keeps you up at night!
4. Prioritise Self-Care
A tip for students that they always ignore or simply do not abide by, is making time for themselves and directing some of their energy towards their own self-care. Self-care is extremely important, especially if you’re a student with too much on your plate. It can be in the form of a midday nap, spending some time outside, catching a movie, or curling up with a good book. Whatever makes you happy, relaxed, and at ease can be considered self-care, and it is important that you don’t deprive yourself of such luxury, the small things still make for big changes!
5. Meditation is Key
Keeping a clear mind and a relaxed vibe during your time as a student is essential to maintaining a healthy mental state. Try meditation techniques to put your mind at ease. You can also try yoga or other forms of relaxing activities. Your meditation doesn’t have to follow the standard rules, it could be relaxing with some quiet music or lighting a candle and chilling in your room, you do you so long as you remain relaxed and of sound mental well-being!
6. Go Outside and Have Fun!
An essential mental health tip for students is to go out and take a break from all the studying and university work. Dedicate some time to going out with your friends. Explore the area, have a picnic, go clubbing, catch a movie, attend a concert, or simply just grab a good meal! If you don’t have the time to go outside, you can still have fun at your dorm or student accommodation. Try board games, card games, or even online games with your friends back home!
7. Lessen Your Workload
Try not to take on too much. Manage your time and adjust your schedule, don’t take on too many courses, enrol in too many classes, or be a part of more than one student club or organisation. It is important to know how much you can handle and not stress yourself out too much. Take it one step at a time, set small realistic goals, and put your mental health first at all times!
8. Ask for Help When Needed
Asking for help can be hard, especially when you’re struggling with your mental health and are under too much pressure from your university work. Seeking help for the sake of your mental stability and well-being is okay and is highly recommended. Reach out to a professional, whether it’s your on-campus counsellor or outside help, as long as you get the needed help and necessary support and treatment.
As stressful and a bit of a handful as student life can be, there are always ways to make it bearable and easy for students to handle. Once you learn to put yourself and your well-being first and follow these mental health tips for students, you’ll be navigating the stresses of university life like a pro!
