5 Tips To Help You Stay Mentally Healthy Throughout College
College can become pretty stressful when it comes to balancing schoolwork, extra-curriculars, and career preparation, all while trying to maintain a strong social life. All of this stress can take a hard hit on your mental health, leaving you unmotivated and even more stressed. Here are five tips to help you stay mentally healthy throughout the school year.
- Practice time management
A lot of times in college, stress comes when students start to procrastinate their workload. Take time each day to work on homework, study, or just look over class materials. Stay dedicated and focused on getting a little bit done each day so that you don’t start to feel overwhelmed once things are due or you have a test coming up.
2. Get enough sleep!
A lot of times, especially in college, students stay up really late, even if they have an early class in the morning. Resist the urge to stay up talking to friends all night just because you can, and instead focus on getting an adequate amount of seep at night. Your friends will still be there in the morning, and your brain will thank you for getting a good night’s sleep.
3. Stay active
Finding the motivation to complete this goal is the hardest part, but once you do, you will feel so much better. It’s important to take a break from the stress of college life and engaging in physical activity is a great way to do it. Not only will it make you feel better physically, but it’s good for your brain’s health, too!
4. Take some time to be alone
College can get overwhelming because you may feel like, sometimes, you never have time to just relax. Make sure to spend some time to just be alone, even if it’s just for a little bit every day. Go for a walk around campus, get some coffee, or just spend some time listening to music or drawing. Whatever it is, take time to allow yourself to decompress.
5. But, don’t stay cooped up in your room all day, either; have some fun!
On the other hand, being alone ALL day is not the best for your mental health, either. One of the most amazing parts of college life is the friendships that you make, so be open to going out on Friday night or watching a movie during the week. Being alone in your room worrying about all of the work that you need to do will easily lead to you feeling stressed and overwhelmed, and spending time with some friends can be the distraction that you need every now and then.
So, although college life can be overwhelming sometimes, it’s important to stay ahead of the game and know how to deal with the stress. Hopefully these tips can be useful in staying mentally healthy throughout the school year.