10 Tips For Taking Care of Your Mental Health at University

If you have read my first post, you will know that I am taking this upcoming academic year out of university to focus on my mental health and so I thought it would be fitting to share a few tips for students who are or will be attending university.

Whether you have a mental illness or not, you have mental health which needs and deserves nourishment, particularly during such a stressful, confusing and often lonely time.

Don’t make the mistakes that I did. Don’t neglect your mental health.

1. Try not to fear being alone.

Know that being around the wrong people is lonelier than being alone. Try not to overthink the whole ‘making friends’ thing like I did. Sure, talk to a variety of people. People doing your course, people doing other courses, people with different hobbies and in different year groups with different goals and dreams because you never know who you will click with but don’t force something that isn’t their simply because you’re afraid of being alone. That’s not what good friendships are made of.

“What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be.”
-Ellen Burstyn

2. Have at least 2 hobbies. 

One to move your body and one to calm your mind. If neither of these involve interacting with others then you should try to encourage yourself to do something with other people like joining a society because it’s important to engage with others outside of the academic setting.

If you are anything like me you won’t want to do this. You will make excuses like “If I don’t join a society I’ll have more time to study” and while that is true, if you don’t remove some of the weight from your mind it will build up so much that there won’t be enough room for the information you are trying to learn. If you don’t set aside some time for your mental health how much time you spend studying won’t matter because the quality of how you spend that time will be lowered significantly.

Life eats up our energy and self-care creates and nourishes our energy. You need to sleep, eat, and nurture your mind so that you have enough energy to absorb the words from the textbook instead of simply reading them and so that you can truly understand and remember what the lecturer says instead of only hearing them.

3. Ask a question during your first class/tutorial. 

Even if you have nothing to ask, ask something you already know the answer to because the longer you go without participating the more your anxiety will multiply. You will also attribute the lack of a disaster to your lack of participation and so you are even less likely to join in.

Although it’s terrifying, I found that this fear only grew the longer I left it. Teachers and professors know that you are nervous and they expect questions. Nobody will think you are stupid for speaking up and others probably wanted to ask the same thing. Break the silence as soon as possible before it gets a chance to grow.

4. Go outside every day. 

You may not think that this is that important. You may also note that this tends to be the opposite of what your mental illness wants you to do. I have agoraphobia and so I always ignored this tip because I thought it would make me feel worse. And it did, in the beginning.

I would have panic attacks. I would analyse every aspect of every social interaction. But fresh air really does have physical and mental benefits and having to go outside every day forces you to clean up and get changed every day. It reminds you that you’re a person. Do not let your room become a prison cell.

5. Know your relapse signs.

Be aware of the signs which indicate when your mental health is deteriorating. For example, I stop showering, I stop wearing makeup, I sleep every free moment I have and I either eat nothing or everything.

Know the signs and act as soon as you notice them. The sooner you notice them the easier it will be to act and prevent further deterioration.

6. Register with a GP.

And make them aware of your mental health status from the beginning and go to them if you feel your mental health is slipping. This is another way I went wrong and it was so risky, I didn’t register with a doctor because I was too scared to go sign up. What if I had gotten into an accident? I faint all of the time, what if I had hit my head?

Also, because of my mental illnesses I neglected my health in so many ways for so many years, leaving my immune system in a very weak state. I've had serious digestive problems as a result of my eating disorder and anxiety, I suffer from chronic migraines, I faint way too often and last year I had meningitis but my social anxiety still prevented me from registering with a doctor.

What if I had become seriously ill (again)? I didn’t even register with a GP never mind utilise them but I know how important this step is.

Don’t follow in my footsteps, they didn’t lead me in the right direction.

7. Utilise other services.

Student services, student minds, lifeline, nightline, counselling, the Samaritans, whatever your university provides. If you have social anxiety like myself, there are several resources that don’t involve face-to-face interaction, you can email or instant message and even though these are still stressful I find them so much easier to use. You don’t have to suffer in silence and you don’t have to suffer alone. Ask for and accept help when you need it.

8. Keep in contact with friends and family.

Call a friend or family member every day. Call, don’t message. I went days without saying a word out loud, even though I messaged my mum more or less every day but when I called my family instead of messaging them I felt such an improvement, even if I don’t really know why.

9. Volunteer.

My depression seems to expand when I feel like I have no purpose and volunteering is a great way to combat this feeling. Not only does it give you something to do, adding structure to your life, but it can make you feel needed as well as exposing you to further social interaction whilst reducing isolation. It can be hard to focus on our own improvement, we often feel guilty about helping ourselves and so a way to help yourself without the guilt is by helping others.

10. Celebrate success and learn from your mistakes.

Allow yourself to be proud of your accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. When you have a mental illness getting out of bed, showering, and eating can be so difficult so celebrate when you do them. If you get a good grade, acknowledge your success! Don’t pass it off as a fluke! Don’t say it is only a result of the professors! Let yourself be proud! And remember that we all make mistakes. Forgive yourself and move on. It's part of what makes us human and we need to accept that.

“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”
-George Bernard Shaw

If you liked this post you may also like:

• 5 Ways to Work on Your Mental Health.
• University: 20 Things to Remember
• What 'You are Not Alone' Really Means