It’s time to go back to uni! Whether you’re starting a new degree or heading back to uni after the Christmas holidays, it’s easy to forget the impact of stress on mental, physical and emotional health.
Your loved ones have probably told you to rest and have a break over the holidays, but what happens once you return to routine and the forgotten stress comes back again?
We’ve put together a quick survival guide to make sure your time at uni in 2020 is positive (and healthy!).
Mental Health
- Stress is a big part of uni, but you don’t need to let it affect you negatively. Try and organise your diary or calendar before the semester starts so you know what is due when and you can be on top of it.
- It’s important to plan things out so that you are prepared – and you don’t end up pulling stressful all-nighters!
Physical Health
- Exercise! Sometimes you may feel as though you don’t have time to exercise during uni, but even just half an hour of getting your heart rate up can calm you down to re-focus and re-energise to get back into study.
- Exercise produces endorphins, which are the chemicals in your brain that act as natural painkillers and stress relievers! So if you’re stressed, take a walk outside or go for a run – it will keep you fit and reduce stress.
- Meal prep! Instead of getting fast food and snacking on chocolate due to stress, anxiety or time restraints, spend a few hours at the beginning of the week cooking. This way you get to still eat healthily during the semester and you won’t need to think about cooking during the week. It saves you time and keeps you healthy.
Emotional Health
- We can often shut out family and friends when things get stressful, but it’s important to know that talking to our loved ones can ease our stress.
- Your parents have probably been through it! As young adults, you can often forget your parents are sometimes the best people to talk to about your uni stress!
So, when the stress starts to get the best of you this semester, remember to take care of your mental, physical and emotional health to thrive.
