Mental health is a crucial part of your well-being and, ultimately, your success at college. But it can be challenging! It’s okay to feel like you don’t have it together all the time— you’re definitely not alone. There’s no shame in having a bad day, week, month, or year, but there are ways to work on that! The first step to taking care of your mental health is recognizing its importance and then taking preemptive measures to ensure that your college lifestyle has room for you to tap into your mental health needs. Here are some small tips to ensure that you’re living in a mindful way that prioritizes your health!
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Have something in your room that reminds you of home.
Feeling homesick is common, even amongst upperclassmen. Sometimes the speed and the rush of a busy college lifestyle gets you nostalgic for the comfort of the lull that you get back home. Make your dorm room a home away from home by connecting it to the home you come from with something that makes you feel like you’re not too far away. It could be an old stuffed animal you’ve had since you were a child or a beautiful framed photo of your family on a bedside table. Get creative!
2. Practice labelling your emotions and keep track of them.
It’s much harder than you think to explain to someone exactly what you’re feeling and why. Are you angry? Tired? Jealous? Spiteful? Is it because you’re burned out after midterms week and really irritable right now, or is there an ongoing conflict with a friend that you’ve been sweeping under the rug? Maybe it’s a combination of both. Practicing labelling your emotions and being cognizant of how, why, and when you feel them is a simple way to stay mindful and aware of your emotional health. If you’re not actively thinking about your feelings, it’s easy to fall into a habit of losing control of or becoming desensitized to them, and ultimately no longer even being able to figure out why you’re not feeling your best and how to rectify that. Try a Mood Journal (like Daylio, free on the AppStore) to write short daily diary entries before bed; it can help you take time to reflect on yourself and your choices too!
3. Take some time in your day to do something that you love.
College gets crazy busy, and it’s easy to fall out of the habit of doing things that make you happy; naturally, without that, you can get burned out pretty quick. Make sure you’re balancing your schedule so that you leave time to get your classwork done as well as take a bit of time for a hobby. That can be watching your favorite movies on weekends or leaving some time to read before bed. Trying out a million cool, new extra curricular activities is tempting, but leave slots for something that you already know you love.
4. Make sure that whatever sleep you’re managing to get is good quality sleep!
It’s pretty obvious that you should be trying to get adequate sleep. But is the quality of your sleep really on point? Plenty of people sleep a full eight hours and still don’t feel themselves being well-rested. To make sure that your sleep is top-tier, stay on a regular sleep schedule (including weekends!), stay away from blue lights before bed, and if needed, invest in sleep-related products that align with your needs. If you’re sensitive to light, black out curtains or an eye-mask can be helpful, and earplugs or a white noise machine might be right for you if noise is your enemy. Anxiety can be helped with herbal teas, aromatherapy diffusers, or a weighted blanket. Personally I invested in high quality pajamas and a heated blanket for the winters once I realized I kept waking up in the middle of the night because of the cold!
5. Practice saying “no” and establishing boundaries.
Even if you’ve been good at being selective with your commitments and balancing your schedule, if you don’t know how to confidently turn down invitations or set boundaries with your commitments, your to-do list can grow exponentially and get out of control. If you have trouble saying no to favors and additional responsibilities, practice a respectful way of turning things down. For example, you could explain that you have a lot on your plate right now, and that if you took the role you wouldn’t be able to give the task the attention it needs or deserves. A polite explanation somewhere along those lines will generally be respected and understood. Even if they don’t, your health comes first! With social invitations, try working on not letting FOMO get to you. There are always hundreds more opportunities to go out with friends, and it’s much more enjoyable when you’re not tired, in the mood to have fun, or don’t have a bunch of things to do on your mind.
6. Stay hydrated.
The importance of water can never be overstated! Dehydration can cause headaches and other physical health ailments, which is surprisingly closely related to your mental health. Feeling under the weather gives you lower energy to tackle your day-to-day activities, and in general won’t reap the results you’re looking for, which can be disappointing and emotionally exhausting. Try tracking your daily water intake and set a goal— the Mayo Clinic recommends around 11 cups a day!
7. Take advantage of your school’s resources
Many college campuses have easy, low barriers-to-entry resources for students to take care of themselves. For example, the Student Wellness Center at Dartmouth regularly schedules therapy dogs to visit various locations on campus for students to interact with them, and has massage chairs, face masks, snacks and warm drinks, coloring pages, and lamps to emulate sunlight for students who might be struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). You may not feel comfortable seeking out therapy, but these are low-commitment methods to use your school’s resources to make your day a bit better. For more personalized care, should you want it, you can speak to professional counselors, peer counselors, and SWC staff that can help you find even more ways to seek out help for your mental health needs.