College life can be very challenging, especially for new students. Long days in front of a laptop in a dimly lit room. Looming deadlines and a tutor who is putting pressure on you to deliver assignments that you have no interest in writing. Too much processed food and alcohol-fueled nights. You miss home and you’re struggling to make new friends. You’re worried about expensive fees and you have an endless list of things to buy. It can all get too much sometimes and it’s not long before stress starts to take over and messes everything up. If you know you’re struggling with the above and you want to achieve a healthier school/life balance, the following are some simple self-care tips for students who are stressed.
Limit Financial Stress
Money can be a huge issue for students and it can cause untold levels of anxiety, especially when it comes to graduate school. To limit the impact that money worries have on your college experience, why not take out a student loan from a private lender? Repayments can be flexible for a healthy budget so you don’t have to worry. You should also set up a budget that will record all your income and expenses so you know where you stand financially at all times. There are plenty of great apps out there to choose from that will help to keep you on track.
Get Enough Sleep
You typically need a minimum of 6-8 hours of sleep for your body to function. Start to miss out on those essential hours and everything could suffer. You’ll feel less energetic and you’ll struggle to hit deadlines. You could start to nod off in class and miss out on important notes. Your body will physically feel the effects too and you can expect to feel lots of aches and pains. Sleep is a healing cycle where your body and brain work to repair themselves. Top tips to get better sleep include cutting out electronics at least one hour before bedtime and creating a relaxing bed time routine that you can follow each night. Do both of these things and it won’t be long before your body gets in the rhythm of drifting off and you’ll enjoy much deeper sleep.
Eat Healthy
It can be easy to let your diet slip when you’re so busy and you don’t have time to shop for ingredients and cook. Takeout can become the norm and you’ll feel the effects of not giving your body the proper nutrition it needs. Start your healthy eating plan by limiting processed foods and swapping them for fresh fruit and vegetables. Take multivitamins on a daily basis and try to limit caffeine and alcohol after a certain time in the evening. Drink a min of six glasses of water per day and try to keep off fizzy drinks and foods that are high in sugar.
Get Enough Exercise
Exercise can play a key role in decreasing your stress levels. Your body will release endorphins during exercise and you can feel much more energized and ready to take on the challenges that college life will throw at you. You should have free access to the gym on campus so make the most of your membership. If you don’t like the gym and you prefer to be outside, why not set aside two days per week for hiking, biking, swimming or walking? Whatever activity you prefer, anything is better than lounging around eating cheese bites for the day.