Simple ways to manage university life with mental health issues:
- Hydration and nutrition affect mental health and ability to study more than you realise, and staying healthy doesn’t have to be hard work. Always keep a litre bottle/jar of water with you and refill it twice daily. Keep healthy, easy meals in the house e.g. jacket potato with salad, ready made soup, frozen smoothie mix, protein bars etc. Take vitamins.
- Routines are everything. Create a routine that makes you enjoy getting up in the morning, or at least makes it bearable … knowing that you’re going to watch an episode of your favourite show while you make/eat breakfast is far better than knowing you have to rush to get to class on time. Create a study routine too. Schedule study time every day at a certain time e.g. between 4pm and 7pm. Obviously you can study more, but scheduling this time stops you from feeling guilty/putting pressure on yourself to study 24/7. If fairy lights, candles and hot drinks make your feel better, then make it part of your routine to light candles and make coffee before you start.
- Dedicate one day per week as a ‘no work day’. Knowing that you have 1 day per week to do whatever you want and relax reduces procrastination during the rest of the week. Try to avoid tiring errands e.g. grocery shopping on this day too. Use it to binge watch Netflix, update your journal, make your favourite meal, or just take naps.
- Always reserve at least 1 hour for self care per day. Take a bath, moisturise, take care of your skin and drink some tea. Self care is not trivial. It can change your entire mindset and improve your health and motivation …. Schedule it in.
- Do household chores little and often. Don’t wait until you have a whole basket full of laundry that will take hours to do. Do a small load every ¾ days that is much more manageable. Wash up each dish as you use it so that you never have a huge pile to deal with. Put things away as you go. Grocery shop for 3 days at a time so that it’s easy to plan meals and carry the bags home. Learn to keep everything low effort and low stress. A build up of chores is the worst thing for motivation.
- Avoid drinking alcohol in excess. Alcohol is a depressant and can affect your mood for days after drinking it. When dealing with mental health issues it’s best to stick to one or two drinks, or avoid it all together.
- Contact the university and discuss what help they are able to offer …. you might be surprised at what is available to you. Don’t be afraid to request something that would benefit you even if it isn’t on the list of things they typically recommend …. if you don’t ask you will never get. E.g. if you have social anxiety, you could ask to give any presentations to staff only, rather than in front of your class. It’s also beneficial if the university has your mental health condition on record, as it will be easier to get an extension on an assignment if it ever becomes necessary.
- Similarly, talk to your lecturers at the start of the year! Explaining that: “I have depression so my attendance may be poor” is better than them assuming that you have bad attendance because you aren’t interested, or “I have anxiety, and would appreciate if you didn’t ask me questions in class” is preferable to them upsetting you without realising. They will almost always be accommodating to your needs, if they know about them.
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