Managing stress and maintaining your mental health
RentWhiz Team
We know being a student can be stressful and during the long winter months people tend to feel a little more stressed out due to the cold and short days. We are here to let you know you are not alone, and we wanted to offer some suggestions on things that might help you.
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 sit down and 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.
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. And 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
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, which is very important when you are in school.
Exercise and workout
A healthy mind goes hand in hand with a healthy body. We all have different things we like to do to stay active, whether it’s playing sports, going to the gym, climbing, skiing, the list is endless. Find what works for you and try to make time to do it. Keep in mind a lot of universities and colleges have facilities and resources that make these activities affordable and accessible to students and student groups
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 have managed to accomplish and because you’ve made it this far, you deserve to relax and have fun, you owe it to yourself.