According to a survey conducted by YouGov in August 2016, “Six in ten (63%) students say that they feel levels of stress that interfere with their day to day lives”, with university identified as a key source of this stress. With this in mind, January is the perfect time to take stock of what may be causing stress in your everyday life, and whether there are any changes that can be made to ensure the rest of the term runs smoothly.
Being organised is one of the best ways to reduce stress, because it eliminates the chaos of not knowing what you’re doing. Establishing a daily routine or schedule can take some weight off your shoulders, because your days are essentially mapped out for you. A healthy routine isn’t just about cutting out sugar and heading down to the gym more as part of a resolution to actually keep up a ‘diet’ this year. There are three key areas a university routine should balance: studying, lifestyle, and food. Here’s a list of some healthy habits that may benefit you both physically and mentally this year:
Studying
– Invest in a new planner/organiser for 2017! Shopping for new stationary fills me with such joy, which sounds weird unless you’re a student and understand the bliss of opening up that new pack of fineliners. Write out your timetable and any upcoming deadlines, and you’re already well away.
– Change up the way you take notes in lectures and seminars etc. This could mean changing up your stationary (obsessed, I know), cutting down your sentences into shorter, briefer statements, or even attempting to take down an entire lecture in single words and abbreviations. Whatever you write down, always remember to copy your messy notes into a different notepad or on your laptop so you can check that you haven’t missed out any important information. Try something new for a minimum of two weeks, and if you find it’s not working for you just change it up again!
– Try studying in a different environment. We get so used to sitting in that one spot in the library and staring out at the same view. Find a different room on campus you can use for independent studying, go into town and sit in a coffee shop, or if the weather is nice enough go down to the beach! A new space could give you a whole new outlook.
Lifestyle
– I cannot stress enough how important it is to wake up early. Establishing a sleep routine in which you get enough sleep to feel refreshed in the morning is super important. I personally struggle with this in the winter months because the mornings are so dark, so I switched up the side of the bed I sleep on so that I can turn on a lamp as soon as I wake up. Getting up earlier than you need to gives you more time to appreciate your morning coffee, to get ready to go out, and to be able to have those ten minutes in the day when you allow yourself to do absolutely nothing.
– Consider taking vitamins and supplement tablets to boost your health and benefit your immune system. As a vegetarian I’m totally invested in them, and struggle with the tiredness and weakness associated with anaemia when I forget to take my iron and vitamin B12 tablets. Deficiencies are more common than people realise, so if you’re feeling slightly off then supplements might be something to consider. If you spend a lot of time studying inside all day, then you could be missing out on some vital vitamin D. If you’re totally unsure of what could benefit you, just head into your local pharmacy or health store (e.g. Holland & Barrett) and ask for some advice.
– Go outside more! As students we get so bogged down with staying inside surrounded by harsh, bright yellow lights that we forget what fresh air feels like. Make sure you’re getting outside atleast once a day, and you’ll notice how refreshed you feel when you get back to working. We’re lucky to have such a green campus, so make the most of it!
Food
– Get into the habit of making yourself a packed lunch everyday. When you plan on buying food on campus, it’s easy to give in to those mid-study sugar cravings and end up buying chocolate and fizzy drinks on a daily basis. Penryn campus is especially dangerous for stocking fresh hot pasties in the shop, as well as supplying Starbucks and Costa coffee for when you need that caffeine fix. Instead, bring your own sandwiches and snacks and fill up a giant water bottle to get you through the day. If you’re in need of something more filling, prepare some pasta or couscous the night before so you feel less like you’re still a twelve year old who lives on cheese sandwiches.
– Leave the ready meals on the shelf, and start cooking more from scratch. Stock up on basic ingredients, like tomato puree and stock cubes, as well as fresh vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots. From those four ingredients alone you’ve got yourself a vegetable soup! Build up an arsenal of go-to recipes that won’t take too much effort to put together when you get home after a long day. Soup is such a good one because you can throw almost anything into a pan, pour some stock over it, and voila there’s a meal! When I started uni, I made sure I could whirl up a good veggie cottage pie, roast dinner and lasagne. Home cooked meals are so much more satisfying than instant noodles!
– Make time for breakfast. For me, it really is the most important meal of the day because it gives me the energy to get through those 9am lectures. If I’ve gone to campus without food in my belly, I’ll be grumpy and off centre for the rest of the day. Breakfast can be a simple as a piece of toast and a cup of coffee, or you could mix it up and try out new recipes – check out Amy’s article on different varieties of porridge!
Whatever 2016 did to you, make sure you get 2017 off to a good start by shaking up your routine and settling in to a refreshing schedule. You’ll thank me in the long run!