by Being a student can be very stressful for many students, especially for those who wish to do well at school or college. It is also a very busy lifestyle. Think about it: A student goes to school five days a week. For most of those weeks, students are given homework, which they will have to complete in their own time. It takes a lot of time overall and doesn’t leave much room for socialising. Keeping your mental health in check will ensure you’re relieving other pressures and goes hand in hand with education.
Although people say University is the best year of your life, for some people, it is very stressful. Especially for those students who need to complete coursework while working a certain number of hours per week for their course and earn additional money. All of these things can be overwhelming and put your mental health at risk. Let’s look at how to look after your mental health during this period.
Don’t Be Afraid To Talk About It
One of the issues many people have is that they keep their issues to themselves; however, this shouldn’t be the case. Talking about your feelings with someone is a great way to let out your feelings. It doesn’t matter who you speak to either. This could be a family member, friend, lecturer or doctor.
You will soon feel the benefits of speaking to someone and it does reduce the problem. They may give you an outlook that you have never considered before. So make sure to speak to someone to help deal with your troubles.
Remember To Stay Active
Being active should be part of everyone’s daily routine. Most people will aim to exercise but will say they are too busy or too tired. If this is the case with you, that needs to change.
The benefits of exercising are endless and there are many different forms of exercise. You can either sign up for a team, such as a netball team or a football team. Something else you can do is start going on morning runs just before work. Get up 40 minutes earlier so you can enjoy a 30-minute run. This kickstarts your day the right way and gives you those endorphins.
Don’t Drink Too Much Alcohol
When you are a student, drinking a lot of alcohol seems to be the norm. There are many student nights throughout the week where you can enjoy a cheap night out with your friends. However, the next day is never great and you can feel rough.
Hangovers only add more issues to your life. It will make you tired, sick, not want to eat and avoid exercise. However, we need all of these things to keep us happy. If you wish to drink, limit it to once a week. Not only will your mental health thank you but your bank account will too.
Enjoy Some Alone Time
Sometimes, you need to enjoy some time alone. Speaking with your friends and family is something you might not want to do all the time and that is ok. Don’t push yourself to your limits or that will make things far worse.
There are plenty of things you can do to enjoy yourself and have a little thought about yourself. Consider a walk in the countryside; maybe even visit a library and spend some time reading. All of these things are great for your mental health and distract you from the busy life you live.
Make Sure You Get Plenty of Sleep
Something else you need to keep on top of is your sleep. As mentioned before, sleep is valuable for your busy student life. It is your opportunity to recharge those batteries, ready for the next day of lectures, exercise and socialising.
Something else you need to ensure is that you go to sleep at roughly the same time every night. Studies have shown that consistent sleep patterns are a great way to recharge your brain and give you better-quality sleep. Your body will get used to when you have to sleep as well.
Consider Speaking To A Professional
If you have done all these things we have mentioned above and things haven’t gotten better. Ensure you are exercising, living a healthy lifestyle, eating the right foods, drinking plenty of water and sleeping enough. It is probably time to seek professional help. Mental health shouldn’t be taken lightly and it can affect your physical health as well. Make sure you speak to your doctor about it and seek advice.
Summary
As you can see, there are many things you can do to help with your mental health during your studies. We advise you to try to improve all of those things that we have previously discussed in the article and if this doesn’t make a significant difference, it is time to get help.
There is no shame in getting help so try to get that out of your mindset as well. Speaking to someone sooner rather than later is essential. Once you start to get things on track, consider rewarding yourself with a new phone or tracksuit you saw in a tracksuit sale but couldn’t afford at the time. It’s these little wins that make all the difference.
