“Your mental health is everything – prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.“

Mel Robbins

How have you been lately?

Our mental health influences every aspect of our daily life. Prioritizing your wellness is the best way to cope with stress and anxiety.

With midterms around the corner and balancing part-time jobs, you might feel overwhelmed or stressed. And that’s completely okay.

But it’s important to be in the right headspace throughout the school year. So, here are five useful tips for your mental health and wellness.

Stay active

Mike, a green monster from the popular Disney movie "Monster Inc" is running on a treadmill. However, while running he falls off the treadmill. Monsters Inc Running GIF
via Giphy

Whether it’s 30 minutes in the gym or Zumba classes, exercising benefits our physical and mental health. You’re one step closer to improving your mental health if you are a fitness enthusiast. Research has shown that exercising has many benefits, such as:

  • relieving stress
  • lifting your mood
  • managing symptoms of depression

Now is the perfect time to start if you haven’t already incorporated exercise into your daily routine.

Meditate

Patrick from the cartoon "Spongebob" is sitting on top of his house meditating. Meditation GIF
via Giphy

Meditation is simply training our minds by focusing on the present moment. It is a great way to practice mindfulness. Some benefits of meditation include:

  • reduced stress levels
  • increased productivity
  • better quality sleep

Headspace offers the ultimate package of meditation tools to improve your wellness. Thanks to IGNITE, all Humber College and University of Guelph students have access to a one-year free subscription to Headspace.

Get enough sleep

Tom, the cat is tired. He fluffs a pillow to fall asleep for his mental health. Tired Good Night GIF
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Pulling all-nighters may sound like the perfect idea when preparing for finals. But, depriving yourself of a good night’s sleep does more harm than good. And sleeping for only a few hours can leave you grumpy.

So, get enough sleep to improve your concentration and mood, making your days more productive! And if you’re concentrating better you’ll probably study better too!

Practice healthy eating

A salad bowl with lettuce, corn and black beans. Lunch Salad Gif

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Before you panic, I am not saying you should create a keto diet, but studies have shown that healthy eating boosts your mental health.

Some foods to consider adding to your diet are leafy greens, nuts, and fatty fish.

Give it a try the next time you visit the grocery store.

Develop coping skills

Mindy on mental health. She lifts her hands up in frustration saying "I can't do this". I can't do this GIF
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Whether journaling or watching an episode of your favourite Netflix series, you might be surprised by how much of a difference it makes. Developing healthy coping strategies is essential for stressful situations beyond your control. Not only does it lighten your mood, but it helps to reduce stress levels.

You may feel overwhelmed and stressed with busy schedules and navigating a hectic semester. But incorporating these tips into your daily routine will help you to achieve academic success.

There you have it! You now have all the tips you need to improve your mental health. So the next you’re feeling down, use our remedies!

Need to break those bad sleeping habits? Take a look at these simple habits that’ll help you have the best sleep of your life!

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