How to Maintain Your Mental Health? 8 Tips for College Students

Key Points: 

Here are the top 8 tips to follow for college students to maintain their mental health: 

1. Strike a balance in 8 dimensions of well-being. 
2. Find the activities that keep you mentally relaxed. 
3. Concentrate on having a proper diet intake. 
4. Prioritise getting 7 hours of sleep every night. 
5. Set small and achievable goals. 
6. Reach out to friends whenever you need help. 
7. Make a routine and stick to it. 
8. Exercise regularly to keep your hormones in check. 

We have discussed these 08 tips in detail in this article. Read on for further comprehension. 

As a college student, you must look after your mental health as it is important for good academic performance. Studying at a university can be an amazing experience, but it can also be very isolating for some students. Especially college students are at a higher risk of developing cognitive health problems when they are in their academic institutions. 

It is important that we should raise awareness about the mental health of college students. They mostly feel burnt out due to academic pressure and have to go through higher levels of stress due to their studies. Although professional essay writing services UK manage to carry the burden of students, they need to take care of their health. 

In this article, we have explored the top 8 ways to help college students better manage their health. But before that, let’s briefly review the definition of this concept. 

What Is Mental Health?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health refers to social, psychological, and emotional well-being. A person’s cognitive and intellectual health affects the way they feel, think, and act. It also helps them navigate their ways of relating to other people in their lives, handle stress and emotions, and make healthy choices. 

8 Tips for College Students to Maintain Their Mental Health

It is always hard for college students to maintain a healthy academic routine and manage the course load effectively. They frequently worry about cramming for the upcoming exams rather than getting a good night’s sleep and pulling all-nighters while on energy drinks. In situations like this, they put their well-being at the top of the list, and eventually, it takes a toll on their physical health. 

Always remember that it is important to take care of yourself and that it might actually be simpler than you think. Here are the top 8 ways you can prioritise your mental health and hit a balance in your academic, personal and social life. 

To be successful in your academic journey, you will have to strike a balance in the eight dimensions of your well-being. Those eight dimensions are emotional, physical, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, vocational, social, and financial. You have to come up with ways to ensure that all these 8 sides of your health are being cared for. When all these dimensions work together, it creates a holistic approach to your good mental and physical health.

 The Colorado State University-Pueblo presents the following image to show those dimensions:

To feel better about yourself, your mental health, and your surroundings, you should find a relaxing activity and keep trying it for an hour. You might be surprised by the effect of such hobbies and activities on your mind. Play a game, colour the papers, listen to music or read your favourite book. The process involves finding a hobby or activity that works well for you and sticking to it. If you are going through extremely high-stress periods, you can buy essay online from reliable sources to keep yourself tension-free. 

Although it is understandable that most college students prefer eating junk food and do not pay much attention to eating healthy foods, you should avoid doing that. It will be best if you feed your body the nutrients it needs, as they are important for your well-being. 

Studying every day, waking up early to attend classes, and writing academic projects can take a toll on you. You can counter that by maintaining a proper diet intake, which may help you keep going. 

Sleep is an important factor that ensures the right state of mental health for students. Having a night’s sleep affects the energy, stress levels and overall health of individuals. Good sleeping habits can assist students in meeting their personal and academic goals. 

Throughout history, poor sleep has been linked to different mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, because the body produces less serotonin as a result of less sleep. Also, other hormones such as dopamine and other chemicals are released less, and you end up feeling tired, fatigued and agitated. 

Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep so that your brain might function well in the next day’s classes. The following image by Sleep Foundation shows the significance of different cycles of sleep: 

You should try setting small and achievable goals in your personal, academic and professional life and set realistic deadlines to achieve your targets. Doing so makes a person feel more in control, but you should not over-schedule your everyday work routine. 

If you feel like you are more stressed during busy periods, try doing some activities that can help you reduce the stress levels, such as yoga, dog-walking, meditation and more. It is always important to know what works best for you. 

When you are experiencing mental health issues, you should not hesitate to reach out for help from your friends, counsellors and psychological health professionals. Talking and communicating your needs is a key to the maintenance of good overall cognitive health. 

Your first port of call should be no other than your family and friends because those are the people you trust and love. Apart from them, you can also try talking to your tutors on campus and counselling professionals online. 

One way to look after your mental health as a college student is to follow a routine and stick to it. You should try to get up at the same time every morning, take a shower and do some small routine tasks such as preparing yourself breakfast or anything else. 

Make a work schedule and stick to it, and adjust your studying time to that schedule. Generally, sticking to a routine helps students deal with the uncertainty and instability in their academic life. 

You might not know this, but exercising regularly can have positive effects on your mental health as a college student. However, when you are struggling with it, it might feel very daunting to get started with an exercise schedule. 

Keep in mind that you do not have to hit the gym hard or do anything excessively strenuous, especially when you do not feel like doing it at the moment. Regular exercise releases endorphins and triggers a positive feeling, which makes people feel better and helps with their cognitive health. 

Conclusion

Apart from following all the tips mentioned above, know that it is important for you to reach out to relevant authorities when you need mental health assistance. If you feel like academic burnout and stress are affecting your day-to-day activities, it’s time to pay a visit to well-being professionals such as mental health coaches and other counsellors. Also, you can hire a reliable essay writer online to provide you with the help you need with your college papers, assignments and other projects. They are the best people to support you fulfil your academic plans and can support you in achieving your desired grades, too.