Being a full-time student is inarguably tough work. It requires grit, dedication, and passion for what you want to do with your future career. Unfortunately, as students, the stress and pressures of being successful can feel unavoidable. One of the most crucial aspects of college is learning how to care for your mental health as you navigate the academic rigor of University.
Set Yourself Up for Success
It’s important, primarily, to set yourself up for success in college. While this may seem like vague advice, it’s a mantra you can apply to every aspect of your college life. Take creating your schedule, for example. Signing up for 18 credits, a part-time job, and a position in a research lab in your first semester is definitely not a recipe for success.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t push yourself to achieve your goals. You should absolutely strive to further your personal and professional development in any way that you can. However, it’s important to take time to map out your availability, your time constraints, and make sure to fit in some time for non-academic extracurriculars and socializing.
Be Wary of Burnout
Over-achievement can oftentimes backfire, especially if your academic pursuits are leaving you constantly stressed and overworked. In these cases, college students often experience burnout.
Burnout is far too common among college students, and is responsible for numerous students’ decisions to drop out of college. It can worsen academic performance and extracurricular involvement, both of which can seriously impact one’s future career. The moral here is that finding the line between working hard and working too hard can be difficult. By listening to your brain and body cues, you can monitor yourself for signs of burnout.
Follow Your Passions
I know from personal experience how easy it can be to lose sight of your passions whilst in the thick of a rough college semester. Many students, unfortunately, feel forced to give up the activities that bring them joy when exams and homework start looming. It is common for college students to stop exercising, playing sports, or engaging in their creative hobbies, especially around midterms and finals.
However, research shows that extracurricular participation actually works to improve academic performance, as well as feelings of attachment to one’s school. Likewise, exercise alone has been repeatedly shown to facilitate academic improvement in a variety of ways. By exercising, college students can nurture their concentration, memories, and creativity.
Neurochemistry also suggests that the brain releases reward chemicals, such as dopamine and serotonin, when we engage in an activity we find pleasurable. These chemicals act as buffers for stress and anxiety and allow us to continue feeling motivated to achieve our goals in school.
Maintain Healthy Habits
Just like exercise and hobbies, it’s easy to let your health slide when you’re trapped in a chemistry exam vortex. However, it is incredibly counterintuitive to cease self-care in exchange for studying more. Having an exam is not an excuse to pull an all-nighter for three days in a row. Research shows that consistent sleep for at least 7 hours each night can facilitate memory formation and improve overall brain function.
Although it may be tempting to stay up into the late hours of the night to cram last-minute, it’s important to acknowledge that sleep deprivation can severely impact your ability to recall information. That is to say, sleep may be just as important as studying, and the two definitely go hand in hand.
A poor diet and water intake can also have severe negative impacts on brain function and health. College students, especially those who are active, should focus on getting a consistent three meals a day with snack in between, and drinking at least 64 ounces of water each day. Poor diet is one of the most common causes of chronic fatigue and immunodeficiency. As a college student, it’s vital not to let your health take the back seat.
Reach Out For Help
At the end of the day, no change of habits or amount of exercise can single-handedly remedy your mental health. In some cases, it’s possible that you might need more help than what you’re capable of providing for yourself. Finding a therapist, counselor, or psychiatrist can be a crucial step in improving your mental health, especially in college.
Luckily, most colleges have counseling and psychiatric services provided to students that is included in the cost of tuition. That means that, as a student, you are entitled to free mental health care provided by your college. Follow this link to access UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center Homepage.
If you’re a college student struggling with your mental health, you are not alone. Surveys suggest that up to 73% of college students experience some type of mental health crisis during their undergraduate years. You need to care for your mental health as thoroughly and thoughtfully as you care for your physical health.
As always, let us know what we missed in the comments below!
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