Managing Stress and Maintaining Your Health and Wellness During Covid-19
We know being a student can be stressful and due to the Covid-19 pandemic you may be dealing with uncertainty and circumstances that are taking a toll on our physical and mental health. As we see an increase in cases across the country and additional lockdown measures being imposed, we are here to let you know you are not alone, and we wanted to offer some suggestions on things that might help you.
Note: We have dedicated Covid-19 resources page if you are looking for more resources and materials.
Stay connected with family and friends
Staying in touch with your family, friends and loved ones can go a long way in maintaining your health and wellness. Scheduling and committing to routine times to communicate and check in with them will help ensure you keep this up through phone calls, email, video chat, text etc.
Use on-campus mental health resources
Most campuses in Canada have mental health services and protective services available to all students. If you ever feel like you need to talk to someone, book an appointment with them or you can just call them over the phone if you need immediate assistance. Please never be afraid to reach out to them, it’s free or covered by your tuition, so they are available to you whenever you need them. A lot of campuses have modified these services due to Covid-19, but they are still available. If they aren’t available, most cities and provinces have mental health hotlines and helplines that you can contact. This link has a list of the resources available in Alberta but each province in Canada should have something similar. The government of Canada also has some resources here.
Try to get enough sleep
We’ve probably all heard the adage, “a good night's sleep is the best cure”. Sleep helps your body relax, recharge and heal. So it’s very important that you try to make time to get a good night’s sleep, and if possible develop a routine sleep schedule (sleep at the same time each night), since it will make it easier for you to sleep and wake up. We know this is hard when you are in school and you are juggling so many commitments, but it’s possible. Which leads us into our next point, maintaining a schedule
Maintain a schedule
Setting and maintaining a schedule is a great way to deal with and manage stress. If you have a prioritised schedule, not only is it easier to predict how your time will be spent, but you’ll have a list of realistic tasks and goals that you can accomplish in a day, a week or a month. Plus, there’s a sense of relief and accomplishment that you feel each time you cross off a task or goal, and this will help minimise stress and anxiety
Eat a balanced diet
There’s an old saying that goes, “a good meal can heal the soul”, hence the term, soul food. While we’re not sure if there has been any medical research to prove this, we do know that eating a balanced diet ensures your body has all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed to prevent some ailments and illnesses or to help heal them. Eating well and eating enough will keep your body energized and keep your mind active.
Exercise, workout and meditate
A healthy mind goes hand in hand with a healthy body. We all have different things we like to do to stay active. At the moment, we may be only able to do a few of these activities, but if you must stay in doors, you can always stay active by attending Virtual Fitness and Recreation Classes. The University of Alberta currently has some you can sign up for here. So, check if your University is offering something similar if you are interested in staying fit.
Try pick up a new hobby
Learning a new skill or hobby can help improve and maintain your overall health. Whether it's cooking, reading, learning a new language, knitting etc. the sky's the limit. Who knows, you might find something you love or something you can make money from.
Make time to relax and have fun
Sticking to our theme of good old sayings, there’s one that goes, “laughter is the best medicine.” Finding ways to have fun, laugh, relax and decompress can go a long way in maintaining your mental health and wellness. So, find what helps you relax and unwind and make sure you make time to do it. Always remind yourself of what you managed to accomplish and because you’ve made it this far, you deserve to relax and have fun, you owe it to yourself.
