Take Care of Your Mental Health During The School Year
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health. The good news is that they are closely linked, so exercise, sleep, and nutrition positively affect both body and mind. Follow these good habits, and your life will be in harmony.
Of course, you can always outsource your task, create a great schedule and always check on your deadlines. Some services can help you be more productive, or fast essay writing services can even help you write your assignments. However, that allows you to be more effective, but it’s not a cure for your mental health. We gathered five habits that can help you to maintain good mental shape.
Get Enough Sleep
Our brain cannot perceive information continuously: it needs time to process and assimilate it. Recent studies have shown that during sleep, the brain is cleansed of metabolic products accumulated during the day. This is necessary for us to feel cheerful and attentive during the day.
Accept that you have 16 hours a day for business, and do not try to add a couple of hours at the expense of sleep. Being sluggish, feeling foggy in the head, and increasing your risk of developing diabetes, dementia, obesity, and heart disease caused by chronic sleep deprivation is a dubious optimization.
Here are some tips that will make your rest at night pleasant and of high quality:
- sleep 7-9 hours a day at the same time;
- do not try to sleep on weekends: scientists have proven that attempts to compensate for sleep deficit only harm health;
- if you work sedentary from morning to evening, go for a jog or walk in the evening;
- reduce the amount of screen time before bed. For entertainment or intellectual activity, it is better to choose a book;
- replace coffee or alcohol before going to bed with herbal tea.
Eat A Balanced Diet
Our brain occupies only 2% of the body weight but consumes 20% of the body’s energy. It needs a lot of resources, which we get together with food. Food has a direct impact on our brain and, therefore, on our mood.
Scientists have relatively recently started to study the impact of nutrition on mental health, and here are some recommendations that exist today:
- The diet should meet the body’s needs for vitamins, minerals, and calories;
- Eat whole grain products, fish with omega-3 fatty acids (herring, mackerel, salmon, sardine), nuts, pumpkin and flaxseed, blueberries, currants, broccoli, and tomatoes;
- Reduce the consumption of processed foods that have been preserved, heat treated, and prepared for long-term storage before consumption. These include semi-finished products, canned food, sausages, snacks, pastries;
- Give up sugar. Glucose is needed for brain functions such as thinking, memory, and learning. But the foods we consume daily contain much more sugar than we need. Its excess leads to a gradual deterioration of memory and cognitive functions.
Be Physically Active
As mentioned above, exercise improves sleep, but the benefits of physical activity for mental health are not limited to this. It has been proven that people who exercise regularly have lower stress levels. Thanks to sports, memory and concentration are sharpened, body weight is normalized, and self-esteem improves. And not only thanks to sports! Working in the garden, cleaning the house, or walking home from work just as well.
Make Friends
If you have a few friends with whom you meet and socialize regularly, you are already doing your mental health a huge favor. If not, it’s time to build those relationships. It’s not about adding a thousand strangers on social media as friends. Build relationships with mutual trust and support, where you are accepted in good and bad circumstances. Such connections give you a sense of happiness, purpose, and confidence – these are the defensive towers of your mental health.
Choose Meaningful Things to Do
Everyone understands the concept of “meaningful things” in their way. For some, it is work; for others, it is a hobby; for others, it is volunteering. The list goes on, but all these activities have a common feature: they bring pleasure, inspire and give life meaning.
Remember when you were happy to wake up in the morning – energetic, waiting for something special? It could be a trip to new places, a concert by your favorite artist, or a trip to the cinema with friends. Or remember the state when the activity absorbed you. You were like in a flow, and you felt neither tired nor the passage of time. For example, reading a book, drawing, or playing football. These are your meaningful activities.
Find time in your life for yourself and such things, especially when you feel that the world around you begins to lose color because of stress, routine or negative thoughts.
About the Author
Twigs cafe staff is comprised of editors, writers, food & drink experts, nutritionists, and researchers to create informative and helpful content for health-conscious people.
