University can be hard. 

Juggling demanding coursework, social pressures, and the challenges of living alone can become a lot for anyone to manage. But university can also be an incredibly rewarding experience, offering the chance for unparalleled personal growth and academic development: building the right skills to manage your wellbeing can help make sure you get all those good bits. In this blog, we’ll be considering some techniques you can use to help keep your wellbeing as a priority during university. 

Establish a routine 

Keeping a consistent routine is easier said than done. It’s worth the effort, though: making sure the things you enjoy are a regular part of your day goes a long way to improving wellbeing. This could be anything from doing a bit of yoga, meditating in the morning, or taking an evening stroll.

There are some fundamentals, though, which we should all try to keep as part of our routine. For example, aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep each night will stop feelings of tiredness and going to bed at the same time each night is the best way of doing this. Likewise, having regular exercise be part of your routine is known to reduce stress and improve mood. 

It’s easy to forget these things, but using a time management app like Booost to remind yourself is a good way to keep on top of your routine. Using Booost is also good for…

Managing your schedule 

University life is filled with lectures, seminars, study sessions, social events, sports meets: it’s a lot to have floating around your brain. It’s easy to forget things, and this can become a big stress when you’re constantly playing catch-up or scrambling around last minute to get things done. 

This can be avoided through effective time management, and making sure you know what you need to do and where you need to be well in advance. Keeping on top of your calendar can empower you to be at your best; it removes the constant worry that you’ve forgotten about an assignment or lesson. Having everything in one place with a tool like Booost makes it even easier to do this, and to plan library sessions or time to work on assignments without them clashing. 

It sounds simple, but unfortunately, time management skills aren’t something focused on in schools, and university students are often thrown into the deep end. It’s daunting, but by using the resources available you can build the skills to manage your time effectively in university and beyond. 

Know what’s available 

Universities have services available designed to promote student wellbeing. Knowing what these are, and how to access them, is really useful when things get tough. Sometimes they aren’t signposted very well, though, so you might need to do a bit of digging on your university’s website to see what’s on offer. Some of the common services you can access are:

1. Counselling: Most universities have mental health professionals available to speak with students. This is good to know about for when things get really difficult, as talking it through with an expert can help with processing wellbeing issues.
2. Academic support: Sometimes, even with all the will in the world, university work can get on top of you. It’s not a surprise when studying at the top-level of academia, but knowing what to do about it isn’t simple. Knowing how to access your university’s student services team means you can get study support, or request accommodations and extensions when you need it. 
3. Healthcare services: Many universities have their own GP specifically for students. If not, it’s still worth registering with a GP as soon as you get to university. It can be a big worry if you end up in need of medical support but not knowing where to access it, so it’s better to avoid that issue ever coming up. 

Prioritise self-care 

This is an easy one to forget about. With so much work to do, and friends to spend time with, putting yourself first can feel like a nice idea but impractical in reality. 

It’s one of the most important parts to managing your wellbeing, though. Constantly putting others first can lead to burnout fairly quickly, and once that happens things can spiral out of control. It’s better to give consistent time to your self-care practices to keep your battery from running flat. 

Taking breaks is a big part of this. A mammoth study session in the library might seem like a good idea, but going for hours with no breaks is actually detrimental to performance and your mental health. Using something like the Pomodoro Technique is an easy way to be sure you’re giving yourself enough of a break now and then. 

Setting boundaries is also critical to prioritising yourself. Don’t overcommit to social or extracurricular activities at the expense of your wellbeing. It’s okay to say no when you need to prioritize self-care.

Your wellbeing is your biggest asset 

In the fast-paced world of university, it’s easy to get caught up in things and neglect yourself in favour of pursuing the best grades and attending every social event. In the long-term, this is a recipe for disaster: not looking after your wellbeing can make things really tough. It’s important to be aware of the support available to you, and to make time to care for yourself. It’ll help you enjoy your time at university more and sets you up for continued success. Remember that your wellbeing is a valuable asset, and investing in it will pay dividends in your academic progress and overall happiness.