In today's world, many young people, including students, are constantly surrounded by smartphones and various social media platforms and are less surrounded by natural human interactions and nature. This is a big reason why our mental health can suffer if we're not taking proper consideration of it and nurturing it the right way. Student life can also be very stressful and demanding, which can also negatively impact our mental health.
Thus, it is important to take care of ourselves, especially now that we’re letting in more information than we can process. It can all be very challenging and overwhelming, and we may also feel a bit lost and discouraged to talk about it or even downplay it. But it doesn't need to be like that - speaking about our mental health and what we're going through is the first step, and it's never a sign of weakness. It's in our nature to have the need to feel heard when talking about our struggles and feel connected to others.
That's said, let's review some helpful tips on how to take care and inform ourselves better about mental health as students and young people:
1. Mental health experts can be found on various social media channels – when scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, you may have seen some mental health-related posts. Many psychologists and therapists post regularly on social media to raise awareness about certain mental health-related topics. Some are very general and some are more in-depth. Following them can help us a lot and it won’t cost us a penny. Apart from Instagram and TikTok (which are more suitable for short-term content about mental health), there are many YouTube videos and podcasts that can inform about the topic more in-depth. Besides therapists on social media, many universities offer the services of mental health experts to their students– they are there for you if you need someone to talk about everyday struggles and problems regarding student or personal life.
2. Students who study far away from their homes often deal with a new perspective on their lives – they don't see their family and friends as much as they used to, which can make them feel sad and lonely. Therefore, it's always a good idea to schedule a weekly voice or video call with their loved ones or plan to visit them when they have an occasion. Another tip is to make the best of the current situation – maybe we can't hang out with our old friends as much as we would like to, but we can try and meet someone new by joining a new activity – it could be a new sport that we want to try or volunteering, singing, dancing, etc. Maybe it's scary to try something new that isn't in our comfort zone but in the end, it's always worth it – we always gain some experience from it and meet new people to hang out with.
3. Student life means more freedom for the individual but with that comes more responsibility. Therefore, it's a good idea to write down our priorities when it comes to studying. We shouldn't expect ourselves to be a perfect student all the time – perfection leads to burnout and instead of perfect goals it's better to set realistic and achievable goals that we can follow.
4. It's well known that we are more critical towards ourselves than towards others. Therefore, it's beneficial to accept ourselves as we are and learn self-compassion in situations when we are dealing with failure. Another tip is to always remember to take a break from learning and have an activity that can fulfill us – because you can't learn without fun, and you can't have fun without learning.
5. Lastly, let's not underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep, balanced meals, physical exercise and a good talk with your closest people. Although student life demands more of your time, let's never forget about our basic needs – only when those are fulfilled, can we focus on our other needs and wants.
In the end, if you're dealing with minor or major mental health difficulties, it is always a good idea to talk to a professional. The mental health topic is not so stigmatised anymore as more and more people of all ages are talking about it, sharing their experiences and seeing a therapist, experiencing a positive effect and benefiting their life overall!
