Your Mental Health is more important than academic or professional success, but sometimes it feels like you're judged on the latter. If you prioritise taking care of your inner self - your thoughts and feelings - you will reap the benefits and meet life's challenges with a newly found sense of ease.
Here are some tips to help you look after yourself and your own wellbeing.
1. Take time out for physical exercise, relaxation and fun 2. Use technology mindfully - do more of what makes you smile and less of what makes you feel deflated 3. Enjoy a good bedtime routine to enhance sleep - turn off screens one hour before and allow enough hours for 8 hours of sleep 4. Try an app like Breathe, Calm or Insight Timer and use it regularly to give your mind a break from constant stimulation and to increase awareness of your own habitual thought patterns 5. Absorb yourself in an activity - play an instrument, sing in the shower, dance around the kitchen (we've all done it) do some art, walk though the woods and get some fresh air, knit, cook or bake, stroke a cat, cuddle, listen to music with 100% of your attention etc
Do you know the signs that your own stress level is elevated? Perhaps you become a more impatient driver, or you get irritated by other people more easily. Maybe you turn in, go silent, stop talking to your friends and family. If that's the case, give yourself a dose of laughter, play music that lifts your mood and put yourself in a social situation with friends, family or colleagues.
Or maybe you're feeling low or depressed. Your energy is sluggish and you're lacking motivation. Try a meditation (see the apps above), or a mantra, for example repeating "the storm will pass" whenever a negative thought pops up in your mind's window. Go outside and get walking in the woods or to the top of a hill and open your eyes to the beauty of simple things.
Be your own best friend and take care of your wellbeing. You’re worth it!
