From navigating change to managing stress: expert wellbeing tips for students
By MAS Team
University can be the best of times, or when problems arise and assignments mount up, it can feel like the worst of times. Having some mental health-boosting routines and strategies in place can make it easier to navigate the ups and downs, and often, it’s the small steps we take every day that make the biggest difference.
Dr Dougal Sutherland is a Clinical Psychologist and teaching fellow at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington School of Psychology. Here, he shares his top advice for staying mentally well while studying.
Harness the power of routines
Whether it’s a weekly walk or regular phone call with family, having some routines across various areas of life can help you stay grounded and happy. This can be particularly important if you're in a phase of life where everything feels new and uncertain, like when you’re a first-year student who has moved away from home, or you're in a different city to start your first job out of uni.
“It’s important to establish some daily and weekly rhythms or ‘tentpoles’ in life, that are regular and reliable,” says Dougal. “Things like, on this particular day I ring Mum, or my brother, or whoever it might be, and on this day I go for a swim, and this day I go for a walk. It’s about scheduling them in just like you would with a lecture or appointment. This gives the structure of having something solid around you that is relatively unchanging, especially when other things might feel a bit chaotic.”
Get to know how you tick, and use it to structure your day
University is a good time to figure out all those nuances about yourself like, when do you work best? Are you an early bird? Or a night owl? When are you most productive?
“It’s about doing a bit of self-discovery, figuring out the best times for you to concentrate and study, and as much as you can, mapping your work around those patterns.”
Once you know what works for you, adding some structure to the day can help when it comes to managing stress and high workloads.
“It sounds boring, but timetabling in when you are going to study and for how long, as well as when you're going to take breaks and stop working, can be really effective,” Dougal says. “It’s also a way of breaking big tasks down into more manageable steps.”
Stay connected
Loneliness is a widespread problem of our modern life, regardless of your age or stage. If you’re feeling out of the loop with others, Dougal says the first step is to get proactive.
“If you’ve moved away from home to go to university, and you have strong connections with people at home, it’s a good idea to keep those relationships as strong as you can.
“It’s also about putting yourself out there a bit, and this might mean getting out of your comfort zone. Start by looking for clubs and societies with people that have similar interests to you. As you go along, it’s important to remember that there is always an element of trial and error when making new relationships and meeting new people. Not all of it will work out, and it’s about realising that that’s ok.”
Do something for your mental health every day
Just like we know we should be doing some physical exercise every day, the same goes for the little routines that boost our mental wellbeing. And while physical exercise has mental benefits too, we should be looking at mental health as its own area of priority. Tinkering on a hobby is great, but Dougal says it can be as simple as taking some quiet time.
“I really encourage people to take 5 or 10 minutes every day to stop and switch off from everything. Just sit down and notice how you are, and what’s going on for you. It doesn’t mean sitting there and scrolling on your phone. This is something you should do alone, without any distractions. It’s about introducing an element of peace and stillness into each day.”
Get comfortable with things not being ‘perfect’
University is a time for trying new things, especially in the first year or two. And part of this is being ok with things not working out as you might have planned.
“Getting everything right all the time is just not possible, and it's probably not helpful for us in the long run,” says Dougal. “Lots of people go to university with a plan and end up changing their course of study. So it’s having a sense of ‘it’s ok if I try something and it doesn’t work.’ ‘It’s ok if I get a C in this assignment’, or ‘it’s ok if I work out that something I thought I wanted actually isn’t right for me.’ It’s about allowing yourself that opportunity to try things out and remembering that most of our learning comes from when things don’t go right, rather than when everything works out perfectly.”
Remember that feeling uncertain is normal, and support is available
Feeling like you’re drifting without an anchor sometimes is natural, especially when you’re at uni. From trying out different courses, to shifting flats and sussing out new friend groups, it’s a stage that can feel like you’re in constant flux.
“University is a big period of self-discovery,” says Dougal. “It’s about trying on new clothes – figuratively and sometimes literally too – to see what fits you. That sort of uncertainty is stressful and anxiety-provoking for anybody. So get to know what sort of support and counselling services are available at your uni, and things like where the student GP office is, so you know where those professional sources of support are if you need them.”
And if you’re feeling low, try to tackle problems early. “Generally, it’s better to address things sooner rather than sit on it. And it doesn’t have to be formal or professional support, it could be talking things through with a good friend or church group. Either way, there’s no shame in saying you want some support for your mental health.”
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