It’s easy to become chronically overwhelmed, anxious, and unbalanced as a University
student, especially a fresher in a new place who is constantly surrounded by new people and
expectations – which people expect you to simply get used to. But that additional pressure
can take a toll on your mental and physical health, so it is important to prioritise yourself at
such a busy time, even when it is difficult to do so. To help you find more ease and comfort
during your time at University, here are my top tips I have found that help me most on the
journey:
- Declutter
Find some time to reassemble your room to make it a place you feel comfortable and
relaxed in. There is nothing worse than building up feelings of dread towards your
messy room to which you have to return after a long day at school, eventually
reaching a point where there is nowhere you would like to spend your alone time.
This can be very isolating, so ensuring that your room is a safe space for you to
recharge is essential. Planning a specific day ahead of the week or simply when you
feel inspired to do so, dedicate some time to declutter and clean your space. Wipe
down surfaces, put away any clothes that have found a new home on your chair,
make your desk a place to sit at and not a huge trinket dish. Only taking up about 10
minutes of your time every week, I find this a guaranteed mood boost for the whole
week. - Go on a walk
Although a popular advice in taking care of yourself, this tip can make one of the
biggest differences to your overall wellbeing. Getting excited to visit a new park or
woods, or even to retrace your favourite route around your block, can help clear your
mind when it begins to feel too crowded and distracted. However, I believe the key to
be mindfulness. When you are on a walk, make sure to truly embrace where you are.
Listen to some music – really listen to it – and really pay attention to your
surroundings: take photos; sit down with a snack or a thermos of coffee or tea or hot
chocolate; take a route you’ve never taken before; even if the path doesn’t lead that
way but your curiosity does. Practicing such mindfulness during a walk can really
help you destress and feel grateful for your decision to go outside – and the change
of scenery and rush of oxytocin makes it worth the effort. - Spend time in the kitchen
It really doesn’t matter if you can’t cook or bake – it is the time and effort that counts.
Find yourself a recipe that you’re craving, be it a pasta bake or a cinnamon apple
muffin, all the recipes are out there in their simplest forms, usually requiring very little
ingredients. Plan this for the weekend ahead to give yourself time to get everything
you need and invite friends if you like. Having fun making food for yourself or to share
not only helps you learn new skills, but also gives you something to appreciate your
effort and time. Listen to music or watch a movie whilst you cook, and really take
your time having fun with it. A recent recipe I tried myself was a simple apple crumble
that required minimal ingredients and a quick bake and accompanied me and a friend
to a cosy movie night (link to the recipe below). There really is no better way to
directly appreciate your efforts and inspiration than through food you have made
yourself. - Take a break from your phone
When I am bored, tired, or unmotivated, the easiest thing for me to do is to grab my
phone and spend hours scrolling through random things on it and personally, there is
nothing more infuriating to me. Time passes quicker and the day is almost over when
I decide to get up, and I only end up feeling worse (headache, stinging eyes, and a
neck cramp). That is not to say that this should be completely avoided, as the
pressure to be continuously productive and ‘make the most of your day’ is all the
more anxiety-inducing and can only result in feelings of guilt for taking time off for
yourself. But when you feel too overwhelmed and stressed, relying on your phone as
an immediate fall back may not be all that helpful. Make it a goal to put your phone
away – e.g., by charging it on your desk. Simply leaving it thrown onto your bed or in
your back pocket makes it too easy and natural to instantaneously reach for it when
you feel unbothered or bored, so make sure it’s not in a place for automatic reaction
to it. Try occupying yourself with something else, such as decluttering, planning your
week ahead or your weekly shop, catching up on missed work, trying a new hairstyle,
or even doing some yoga. Feeling like you’ve made the active choice to stay away
from a usual and typical fall back will benefit your mood and give you something to
be proud of at the end of the day.
- Be creative
The last tip has been most effective in relaxing me and helping me to recentre.
Creative activities can give you something to look forward to after you catch up on
missed lecture notes or an assignment and can effectively recharge your good and
relaxed mood. Redirecting your brain’s attention and inspiration to something that
brings you joy and a peace of mind can be the perfect outlet for anxiety and any sort
of block. This could include colouring or drawing (even doodling and making random
patterns for which Pinterest can serve as inspiration) – which you can later put on
your wall -; decorating your room with posters and fairy light; painting your nails; or
creating cards (right now I’m making Christmas cards for family and friends) or
wrapping gifts if there are any upcoming occasions. I love to put on a movie/series or
music/radio whilst I do this, and it really helps me take my mind off all my tasks and
to-do list.
Those are my top 5 – and tried – tips for taking care of yourself at University, and
although it may be hard to find yourself in a new place and away from your family
and friends, I hope that some of these can help you keep going – because in the end,
it will all get better and all it takes is time and effort to balance yourself in this new
situation.