This Saturday, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day. It’s a great day to reflect on how you are feeling with the impending stress of the quarter. To perform and feel your best, it’s important to consider your mental health as seriously as you do your academics! If you’re struggling to keep it together at times — as many of us are — here are 10 tips for a happier, healthier year.
1. Find an expert.
Don’t believe that there’s something shameful about seeking help from a mental health professional like the stigma might suggest. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, or struggling with relationships, you can always benefit from a little more knowledge about what you’re dealing with. Student Health and Counseling Services at UCD is a fantastic resource with counselors that are willing to help.
2. Consider taking a break from social media.
Whether it’s for a day, week, or month, consider giving your social media passwords to a trusted friend and deleting the apps from your smartphone. Staying connected is awesome, but ignoring your own needs just so you can see what everyone else is up to isn’t. When I left Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat for two months last spring, I found that I was able to focus so much more on ME.
3. Develop a support system
Yes, I told you to leave your social networks — but only your online ones! A social network that you can rely on and see in person is vital. Even if you’re feeling lonely on campus, develop relationships with the people you DO know, including instructors and advisors. The more people you know, the more secure you’ll feel.
4. Eat well
You are what you eat! Fuel your body with nutrients from fruits, to vegetables, and whole grains. Doing so will keep you feeling more alert than an energy drink or coffee, and you’re less likely to feel drained and overwhelmed. When our physical health improves, we tend to see an improvement in our mental health as well.
5. Find a place to be alone.
Whether it’s the shower in your dorm, or a shady tree in front of a lecture hall, find a spot where you don’t need to suppress your emotions for the sake of others. It’s easy to hold back tears or negative emotions when you’re at a party, in class, or in a social setting. In your own little spot, you can do whatever you want.
6. Treat yourself!
We all need a good pamper session. Take a half day out of your weekend for self-care. Focus on you and the things that make you happy. It’s perfectly okay to indulge in a little Netflix, or a spa day complete with a bubble bath. Make yourself smile!
7. Give yourself a challenge
This doesn’t mean taking on 50 more responsibilities if you’re already overwhelmed. It means telling yourself you’ll make a new friend, or complete a DIY project by the end-of-the-month. It’s about giving yourself something to look forward to and work towards.
8. Help others
Doing community service can often help you feel renewed and refreshed. If you are feeling lost, volunteering at the soup kitchen or animal shelter can give you a sense of purpose and help you feel more grounded. You are making the world a better place for your neighbors and for yourself.
9. Find an outlet
Channel your feelings into something beautiful and productive. You might consider expressing yourself in writing, art, or music to help yourself make sense of the heavy things you are dealing with.
10. Give yourself time
As with almost any health problem, mental health issues rarely disappear in an instance, and recovery is always a process. Allow yourself ample time to fully understand what you’re going through. Recuperation can be tough — but if you do your best to follow these tips and put yourself first — you’ll get there eventually.