University life can be tough. As if deadlines, expectations, time management, living on your own and making new friends isn’t hard enough, you also need to figure out what you’re going to do when you leave. A lot of students struggle with stress, anxiety and depression. But what can you do to prevent this? Here are a few tips for keeping a healthy mind at university.
# Prevention is better than cure
Preventing issues before they arise, in other words being proactive, can be a good way to avoid unnecessary stress. The transition from secondary school to university in particular is challenging as you gain freedom in your behaviour and are forced to become more independent, particularly on a social and financial level. The best thing to remember when starting university is that you are not alone. Hundreds of students are experiencing exactly what you are, so you can take confort in the fact that every new person you meet is facing similar struggles. And if you really struggle to cope, there are university services available that will be able to help you, as long as you are brave enough to ask. With financial freedom comes responsibility, and I’ve personally found that setting up a budget can really help you to understand your financial situation. For example, a simple spreadsheet that weighs your income with your outcome on a monthly basis can show you how much you are able to spend per month on different items (e.g. food, travel, events). This can be particularly important if you receive funding only a few times per year, as suddenly receiving a lump sum of money can be tempting! But ask yourself, do you really want to face the stress of running out of money before your next pay? I’m sure that those who have can tell you that living off cheap pot noodles for a month isn’t great.
# Be part of a community
When you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious, it is easy to isolate yourself. But that will likely make you feel worse. Try to think of the things that bring you joy (perhaps even write them down) and do them! Go out with your friends, talk to your friends about how you are feeling and support eachother. It is very unlikely that you are alone in how you feel, particularly in academia. Join in activities, step out of your comfort zone every once in a while, and experience life outside of work. Remember that if you are feeling particularly low, your university will have services you can turn to as well.
# Reflect on your thoughts
When you are feeling down or low, try to figure out why you are having negative thoughts. This may help you recognise your thought patterns and change them before you are overcome with panic or stress (for example, one strategy of coping with stress can be mindfullness). The more you focus on the negativity, the worse you feel.
Are you exaggerating or even catastrophising something that happened? For example, you feel you did badly on one question in an exam, so therefore you know that you’re going to fail. You can’t just focus on one difficult question when there are many others that you may have answered correctly. One bad answer can still get you an excellent score! Plus, should you worry about something when you don’t even know if it warrants concern? Even if you do fail that one exam, it doesn’t dictate your future. It was just a measurement of how you did at one particular moment in time. One strategy I started to use on exams was to show up just before the exam and leave straight after finishing, meaning I had no time to discuss the exam with my classmates. If you do, you tend to overhear someone say something about the exam which will make you worry, and stress is the enemy when it comes to exams!
Are you being overly self-critical? Taking things too personally when you are in a low mood is easily done. An innocent comment made by a friend can have you thinking you did something wrong or something is your fault. Try to put yourself in their shoes, your friend had no reason to mean you any intentional harm. Feel like people are judging you? Just think, everyone is too busy nowadays to be worrying about what you’re doing, they are probably thinking about their assignments and deadlines, just like you. Perhaps you are critisising yourself for not doing enough work or you see limitations in yourself that simply do not exist? Have your lecturers or supervisors told you you are not doing enough? Are you progressing as you should? Or are you just being too self-critical? Maybe there is nothing to worry about, and if you are not able to achieve as you are expected to even though you are trying your best, there are people who can help you with that. Things are not hopeless. Remember that all you can do is keep moving forward and do the best you can.
For every negative thought, actively try to think of a positive thought. Or better, try to twist your negative thought into a positive one! For example, rather than focus on one exam or assignment you did badly in, think about which assignments you did well and where your strengths lie. See it as a learning opportunity, after all that is what university is for.
# Make a plan and to-do list
If you are someone who worries about having a lot of work to do or not having enough time, making a plan or to-do list can do you a lot of good. Try to figure out how long it takes you to complete certain tasks, and add on a bit of extra time for the odd off-day (e.g. how long does it realisitically take you to write a 1000 words?). Then use those timeframes to make a plan including all of the items that you have listed on your to-do list. Make sure to plan in plenty of free time as well, so you can relax inbetween tasks. You can even set yourself some deadlines, so you know you will get things done on time. Ticking things off your list can make you feel lots better. And planning can make you see that you are able to do the tasks you need in the time you have. However, make sure you prioritise the items on your to-do list. It is easy to leave the things you find hardest until last. Write down which items on your to-do list are the most important, and make sure you prioritise your efforts.
# Keep note of your achievements
When having finished a day of work, it is easy to feel like you wasted a day or didn’t do enough. That’ll make you feel stressed. But if you keep a list and write down your achievements, you will have something to look at at the end of the day and see all of the things that you achieved. Then you won’t be able to say that you didn’t do anything that day, because you have proof that you did. It can be anything as simple as replying to an email or something larger like writing a 1000 words on an assignment. However big or small you want to make these achievements, that’s up to you! But it will help you realise that sometimes it takes a lot of small steps to achieve a larger goal. And that is great progress. It is important to learn to appreciate your achievements, however small.
# Exercise and eat healthy
Make sure you are getting plenty of exercise and eat healthy. You are what you eat, and if you’re living off pizza and ice cream, chances are it’s not helping the way you feel. Make sure you are getting all the right vitamins and minerals, so that your brain is ready for the next thing on your to-do list! If you’re worried about cost, buying frozen fruit and vegetables can be a good solution, as it’s cheaper and will last longer. Your university may also have a fresh fruit and vegetable stand somewhere on campus with reduced prices.
What do you do in order to keep a healthy mind at university? Share you tips and thoughts in the comment section below.
Remember that everyone is different, and no one coping strategy will work for everyone. It’s about finding out what helps you. Here are some resources that may help you keep a healthy mind while you are at university: NHS Choices, Student Minds, Big White Wall, Mind.
Jungle Science 