May is often a busy month in general, but it is especially so for college students. It’s that time of the academic year which often comes with a lot of stress due to finals, course papers, and different tasks piling up. Many college students during this month can feel a lot of stress, chaos, and overwhelming emotions. That’s why it’s important to stay healthy and implement the following habits during May more than ever.
If you are looking for some healthy habits that will help you keep yourself healthy and mentally stable, here they are. Keep reading to learn some of the best tips for college students for the month of May.
Prioritize Sleep
Sleep is often underestimated and can even be sacrificed during the hectic period before the finals. Many students choose not to sleep but rather to complete all of their papers in the project before the due date comes.
However, it would be very harmful to physical and mental health to do so. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep daily with a high-quality sleep routine followed. Establish a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even during the weekend.
The most important thing is to make sure that you don’t sacrifice sleep. It might seem like an impossible task, but if you work on your daily routine and on your procrastination, you can achieve great results and avoid messing with your sleep schedule. Avoid excessive caffeine and screen time before bed so that you fall asleep quickly. You can also try different sleep methods like background noise or breathing techniques so that you don’t waste any time lying in bed. Once you establish a routine and sleep schedule, your body will shut down quicker when you go to bed.
Nourish Your Body
Nutrition plays a crucial role in fueling your body and mind, especially when you are going through challenging times of exams, due dates, and other college tasks.
Instead of relying on quick-fix junk food, prioritize nutritious meals and snacks. For example, you can incorporate plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole greens, nuts, and proteins, as well as healthy fats in your diet. Meal prepping will surely help you make your meals less time-consuming and much easier to cook. Even if you don’t have many opportunities to cook in the dorm, you can still use basic kitchen gadgets to cook healthy meals and help yourself during the stressful month of May.
Move Your Body
Regular physical activity is not only beneficial for your physical health but for your mental health as well; you need to pay extra attention to your daily activities and make them diverse and interesting so that you move a lot and improve your health.
You can implement some additional exercises on a daily basis. Heating the gym, going for a run, taking a yoga class, or simply having an extra walk per day might drastically change your well-being. What you should also remember is to take breaks while working on your home tasks. Get up and move a little so your posture and your blood circulation are healthy.
Physical activity can surely reduce stress and improve your mood. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise during most days of the week.
Practice Stress Management
It’s almost impossible to avoid stress in the 21st century. However, it’s important to remember that you can and should work on stress management techniques that you can implement in your life and regulate the stress levels by yourself. What you can do is try mindful meditation, deep breathing, exercises, journaling, or other stress management techniques that are very popular. Nowadays, you can also turn to art therapy, aromatherapy, yoga, and other types of relaxing techniques that you will find the most suitable for you and your lifestyle.
Take breaks during the day to step away from your studies and engage in some positive or relaxing activities. For example, you might listen to music or watch your favorite series just to reboot your system and reduce your stress level.
Get Organized
Being organized often helps with managing extra stress. When you have everything planned, outlined, and prepared, you can surely avoid some extra stressful situations. This sounds like an extra step but it might be a game-changer during the month of May, which is the most stressful period for any college student. What you should do is plan your days, create a schedule, and put all of the assignments, deadlines, exams, and commitments into your calendar so that you can track your progress and the remaining time.
Break larger tasks into smaller ones so that you don’t feel overwhelmed when working on a bigger project. You can also create to-do lists if you would like to track the progress of your day and your tasks.
And, of course, set realistic goals for yourself so that you are satisfied with your accomplishments instead of being disappointed by the aim that you have not achieved.
Cultivate Social Connections
Staying socially active amid the chaos of finals season might feel like an excessive task. However, socializing is important for relieving stress, and it’s much better for your productivity and mental health than staying isolated and disconnected.
Maintaining social connections can boost your mood and motivation levels, as well as even bring you some useful advice and tips that you will find valuable. Make time to connect with his friends, classmates, and family members while grabbing a coffee together, going for a study session, or chatting over the phone. Even such simple things can really boost your social life and will not take much of your time.
Don’t Forget About Self-Care
Caring about your needs and your body, as well as your mental health, is crucial and will surely help you avoid burnout. It’s important to carve out time in your schedule for activities that bring you joy and help you relax. For example, taking a bubble bath, reading a good book, or watching your favorite movie. Such activities can help you relieve stress and feel much better even when you are overwhelmed with studies, exams, and different tasks.
Seek Support and Help When Needed
If you’re struggling to cope with the demands of life and challenging tasks that the month of May brings, you might need some extra help from people around you. First of all, you can ask your friends or family members to help you emotionally. Simply talking or asking for advice might help you a lot and will make you feel less lonely and challenged by the college.
You can also turn to a counselor or mental health professional for some extra support during the finals. It will make a big difference when you get valuable advice from a professional who can help you relieve stress and take care of your mental health.
But some extra help can be found online. You can find an essay writing team very helpful during the month of May as they can be entrusted with tasks that you are not ready to cope with or don’t have time for. Send us your request, and we will write an essay or other type of academic paper for you so that you can focus on other things that are important and urgent in May.
Conclusion
May might be a challenging time for college students. It can surely be a time of valuable lessons and new skills obtained by implementing our easy tips. You can ensure that your May is less stressful than it could have been. Try not to worry a lot and take care of yourself. Good luck with your studies!
Karen Palmer
