- Try to avoid overscheduling. Examine the importance of each activity and whether it makes you happy. Try to set limits and say “no” when things become too much.
- Balance your academic demands and other responsibilities with activities that support your mental well-being and energize you. Participate in activities that make you feel good and prioritize down time.
- When feeling overwhelmed, hit the refresh button. Try to stop what you’re doing, take a break, and breathe. A five- to ten-minute break for you to go for a walk, interact with a pet, take a hot/cold shower, listen to music, or eat your favorite snack can help reset and improve your mental state.
- Reach out to friends and family members and share your thoughts and feelings. Communicating openly about your challenges can help you to come up with solutions and begin to let things go.
- Rest, good sleep hygiene, hydration, physical activity, and well balanced nutrition are all essential to keeping your mind and body nourished and able to function at its best.
- Try not to consume yourself with thoughts about the past or future. If you can focus on what is happening right now, you can reduce your stress level. The truth is that you can not control what has happened or may happen. You can only control what is occurring right now. Be present in the moment.
- Take time to reflect on what you are grateful for at the end of each week vs. what went wrong. This will help you to begin to reconstruct your thinking and begin to move towards a more positive mindset.