Mental health vs. college: How do you choose?
in Psychology & Therapy ·
Dear author, reading this feels like watching an old acquaintance of mine (I actually know her personally :-) ). She lived in a dorm from her freshman year through college; she finally started to relax toward the end of her degree, but by then, the stress had absolutely wrecked her health and nerves.
IMHO, you need a hard reset. I know finals are looming, but take two days just for yourself—don't grab coffee with anyone, don't worry about family, don't worry about your boyfriend. Just you. No books. Go wander downtown, sit in a park... or if that’s not your thing, grab some snacks, find a series, and spend the whole day in bed. Rest! Forget the book exists.
On the second day, sit down alone with a notebook (find a nice, high-quality one for journaling or notes 😉) and make a plan! You're clearly disciplined enough to study 14 hours a day, so you'll be more than disciplined enough to build a schedule.
Start with habits—do some light exercises in the morning, and make sure you get out for a thirty-minute walk once a day. Make it a rule to eat a smoothie or some fruit/veg daily—bananas, walnuts, honey. And start taking some higher-quality multivitamins.
Forget drinking coffee in those quantities; two cups is plenty. Your head might ache at first and you might struggle to sleep, but both should pass after three days. Hang in there, you can do this!
Once you establish a rhythm and get through that detox phase, you'll sleep soundly. Don't get hooked on Xanax or anything similar; those are incredibly hard to quit. Stick to natural calming teas in the evening instead—it helps with sleep and the detox process. And forget about caffeine after 5 PM.
Second: studying. Break everything down into modules. Use a timer on your phone for 50-minute blocks. Then, take a 10-minute break where you actually get up from the desk and go somewhere else—dance to a song, check the news, whatever. Do that for maybe 3 to 4 hours max, then take a longer break for lunch or a walk.
Believe me, your mental state will settle once you do this. Fix your habits first. Once you've gotten your physical health in order and exams are over, then create a new plan to develop other areas of your life—your relationship, your family, and how you interact with yourself and everyone else.
I'm not just talking nonsense; I worked in education, went through training, and dealt with crowds of people right before their big exams. This is a proven recipe that actually works. 😉
So, here it is: a one or two-day total rest reset, a notebook, a plan, a shopping list (vitamins, tea, fruit, veg), and then go for it. 👍
IMHO, you need a hard reset. I know finals are looming, but take two days just for yourself—don't grab coffee with anyone, don't worry about family, don't worry about your boyfriend. Just you. No books. Go wander downtown, sit in a park... or if that’s not your thing, grab some snacks, find a series, and spend the whole day in bed. Rest! Forget the book exists.
On the second day, sit down alone with a notebook (find a nice, high-quality one for journaling or notes 😉) and make a plan! You're clearly disciplined enough to study 14 hours a day, so you'll be more than disciplined enough to build a schedule.
Start with habits—do some light exercises in the morning, and make sure you get out for a thirty-minute walk once a day. Make it a rule to eat a smoothie or some fruit/veg daily—bananas, walnuts, honey. And start taking some higher-quality multivitamins.
Forget drinking coffee in those quantities; two cups is plenty. Your head might ache at first and you might struggle to sleep, but both should pass after three days. Hang in there, you can do this!
Once you establish a rhythm and get through that detox phase, you'll sleep soundly. Don't get hooked on Xanax or anything similar; those are incredibly hard to quit. Stick to natural calming teas in the evening instead—it helps with sleep and the detox process. And forget about caffeine after 5 PM.
Second: studying. Break everything down into modules. Use a timer on your phone for 50-minute blocks. Then, take a 10-minute break where you actually get up from the desk and go somewhere else—dance to a song, check the news, whatever. Do that for maybe 3 to 4 hours max, then take a longer break for lunch or a walk.
Believe me, your mental state will settle once you do this. Fix your habits first. Once you've gotten your physical health in order and exams are over, then create a new plan to develop other areas of your life—your relationship, your family, and how you interact with yourself and everyone else.
I'm not just talking nonsense; I worked in education, went through training, and dealt with crowds of people right before their big exams. This is a proven recipe that actually works. 😉
So, here it is: a one or two-day total rest reset, a notebook, a plan, a shopping list (vitamins, tea, fruit, veg), and then go for it. 👍