College is a stressful time, and if you don’t make room for wellness in your life, you may experience burnout. A wellness routine can help you juggle the demands of your college life. When creating your wellness routine, there are several areas you should focus on. Paying attention to these areas will help you learn how to navigate different challenges in your life and prevent burnout.
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Build Positive Financial Habits
This might be the first time you have had to manage your money. Even if your parents are paying for your tuition and room and board, you will likely still have some expenses you have to manage on your own. If you get a job to help with the costs, you may find yourself needing to manage your income, however small. No matter how financially secure you feel, it’s important to learn how to manage your money. Being able to budget and track your spending allows you to better prepare for the future.
If finances are a source of worry for you, take some time to go over your financial situation to determine the best course of action. If you are struggling to pay for food, look for food pantries in your area. If you can’t afford the necessary equipment for a class, see if you can get an equipment loan. If tuition is worrying you, consider getting a student loan. An Earnest student loan lets you pay for some or all the tuition bill, giving you some breathing room in your budget.
Pay Attention to Nature
Spending enough time outside can help you in many ways. It lets you form a connection with nature that you would not have gained by being indoors. Your surroundings often impact your stress levels and overall mood. Being aware of your surroundings is important, especially because the right surroundings can put you in a peaceful frame of mind. While your control of your surroundings might be more limited as a college student, that doesn’t mean you can’t make changes to your everyday space.
Consider bringing part of the outside indoors by having a few small plants. If possible, study by a window or even outside, as natural light can help you feel more relaxed. Take some time to get away from campus on the weekends or between classes. Even if your college is in the city, there might be parks in the area you can go to on a nice day.
Foster Social Connections
If this is your first time living away from home, it’s natural to feel lonely and miss your family and friends at times. But this is an excellent chance for you to become your own person socially. Personal connections can help you feel more grounded in a community, and this goes beyond simply friendships. Personal connections consist of coworkers, classmates, and others on campus. The social networks you form can guide you along the way.
Focus on Your Spiritual Side
You may associate spirituality with being religious, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a spiritual side. Take some time to think about your ethics and values, no matter your beliefs. When you are healthy spiritually, you can have a better understanding of why you are here and where you should be going. Exploring your spiritual side gives you a chance to make decisions that are guided by the things most important to you.
If your community or school holds religious services, consider attending a few. There may be religious organizations other than churches in the area that you can take part in. Many times, schools have options for a range of spiritual beliefs. It's a good idea to learn about different religious beliefs. Not only can this put you more in touch with your own spiritual side, but it also can give you a better understanding of people with other beliefs.
Don’t Neglect Mental Wellbeing
With so many demands on your life, this can be an extremely stressful time. From classes to friends to work, you may not feel like you have enough hours in the day to do everything you need to. It's important to manage stress by coming up with strategies that work for you. These strategies can help you focus better and be at your best. It's common for students to deal with stress in an unhealthy manner if they don’t know how to deal with it the right way.
Some develop eating disorders, binge drink, or start taking drugs. But a better way to deal with these things is by implementing self-care and mindfulness into your daily routine. These self-care routines can also help you become more resilient as time goes on. Don’t feel like you must go it alone. Having a support network in place means you will have people to rely on, even if the going gets tough.
