Hello! I love this account and while I don’t go to UofT, I was wondering if you have any tips for maintaining one’s mental health, especially during online school. I feel like I’m dragging myself around the house, and every time I turn on my laptop, I immediately feel anxious and overwhelmed.
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cw: mental health, anxiety
hey there,
thanks so much for the kind words about this blog, and for waiting for this answer! i hope it’s still helpful to you.
i totally relate to what you say you’re feeling, and have noticed that a lot of my friends are struggling right now. online school is hard, this pandemic sucks, things are so chaotic and we miss the people we love… it’s perfectly understandable that we’re all feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
i don’t feel super qualified to share mental health tips, but as someone who grapples with their mental health, i can tell you about a few things i’m doing that are helping me. i hope that will at least give you some ideas of things that might help!
going outside
i don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but leaving my room once a day for natural light and fresh air (what little penetrates through my mask lol) has helped me feel more like a person. there are so many things to notice outside, even in areas i’m super familiar with. plus, it helps with my sense of overwhelm, because anything that jolts me out of my regular headspace reminds me that the world is bigger than me and whatever failures i might be afraid of experiencing, lol.
if you need motivation to go outside, here’s a link to a podcast episode a friend sent me. listening to it while i walked made me feel like i was traveling, which is a feeling i miss very dearly. if you choose to go for a walk and listen to it, i hope it makes you as happy as it made me.
regulating my sleep schedule
this can be a tough one for me because revenge bedtime procrastination is a real thing, but when i feel well rested, i feel less… like crap. and i need less caffeine to function, which is great because caffeine can trigger my anxiety. get 7-9 hours a night if you’re able — i seriously think it makes a difference.
eating well
my therapist once told me that irregular eating patterns can contribute to really bad mood swings that make you feel more depressed and anxious — i think it has something to do with how blood sugar levels drop. so lately i’ve been trying to eat like i value myself, which means eating healthier for better energy but also getting takeout from my favourite places because it makes me happy.
making sure i socialize!
i know a lot of people are struggling with isolation right now, which is particularly difficult because loneliness can contribute to poor mental health. regular interaction with other people can help with that.
lately, i’ve been reaching out to friends, sometimes even ones i barely speak to anymore, to schedule zoom study sessions. if you’ve been feeling easily overwhelmed by your studies, getting things done with a friend to keep you accountable may help. if you can join an active discord server with people that have similar interests to yours (ie. a student union discord server for your program), you can also get some social interaction that way.
in general, it’s really important to find a balance between completing your responsibilities and doing things that make you feel refreshed and happy.
accessing support
while i think lifestyle can help with mental health, i don’t think it’s a silver bullet, and have definitely needed the support of a therapist at several points during this pandemic.
if you are a student at another university, i’d encourage you to look into the supports and resources that your school provides. maybe you can access an on-campus therapist (virtually, of course), or maybe you have some kind of insurance coverage for off-campus support. if you’re struggling with your mental health, i do think you deserve to get professional help.
all in all, i feel like my tips can be summed up by: treat yourself with value. you deserve it.
i hope this helped! sending you all the love — i hope you find something that works for you.
be Boundless,
aska