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Time English (United States) Language 2 Action
00:06
As you prepare to start or head back to college,
00:08
you’ve probably heard at least one person say that it will be the best time of your
00:12
life.
00:13
If movies and TV are anything to go by,
00:14
college is packed with all-night parties, road trips,
00:16
and Instagrammable sleepovers where you and your friends binge the entire new season
00:20
of The Great British Baking Show in a night.
00:21
But college isn’t just one long party, and it can be a challenge to look after your health.
00:25
This might be your first time living on your own, without your Mom around
00:28
to constantly check your forehead for a temperature, just in case.
00:31
This may be the first time your immune system has seen such young germs
00:33
since you were a teen yourself.
00:34
Or it could just be a new set of experiences to juggle
00:37
–and that can be plenty stressful and overwhelming.
00:39
But the better you take care of yourself, the better you can balance self-care
00:42
of your body and mind with the demands of school, work, family, and friends.
00:46
Wherever you are in your college experience,
00:48
it’s a great time to explore ways that you can keep your mental,
00:51
emotional, and physical health in check and discover resources
00:53
you can access for help.
00:54
Hi, I’m Erica Brozovsky, and this is Crash Course: How to College.
00:58
a Study Hall series presented in partnership with Arizona State University.
01:01
Today we’re talking about Protecting Your Mental Health.
01:05
[INTRO MUSIC PLAYS]
01:12
Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
01:15
It affects how we think, feel, and act, and also determines how we handle
01:20
stress and everyday responsibilities.
01:22
Whether this is our first time away from home or our third term back at college,
01:25
it can be overwhelming.
01:26
We’ve gone from having structure in our life
01:28
that’s imposed by someone or something else
01:30
–our high school, our job, our family–
01:32
and suddenly we’re in charge.
01:33
Sure, we still have those responsibilities,
01:35
but we’ve made the decision that among all those responsibilities,
01:39
we’re putting college up at the top.
01:41
Suddenly, we’re setting our own schedule and arranging life around classes and studying.
01:44
And while having the freedom to do that is awesome, wow, can it be overwhelming.
01:48
In fact, research tells us that over 80% of students feel overwhelmed
01:52
at some point in their college career.
01:54
So if you find yourself feeling this way, you’re not alone!
01:56
In fact, you’re pretty much in the same boat as everyone else.
01:58
And while we don’t want you underwhelmed either,
02:00
being overwhelmed can lead to stress, headaches, anxiety, illness,
02:04
and a bunch of other things we want to avoid.
02:05
While there is no quick fix for any of this, there are some steps you can take
02:09
to manage the health of both your body and mind.
02:11
We’ll cover some of the highlights today–some of the ones that are most accessible.
02:14
And, we’re gonna start with the strategy you probably already hear a lot about: sleep.
02:19
The relationship between college students and sleep
02:21
is infamously on-again/off-again, am I right?!
02:23
You might wonder how you can possibly get more sleep given all of your responsibilities,
02:28
but adequate sleep can actually help you be more productive.
02:31
Poor sleep quality can make it difficult to think clearly,
02:34
work effectively, and maintain a positive mood.
02:36
Poor sleep can also impact your memory, focus, and immune system.
02:39
And that’s not what we want.
02:40
Be mindful of where you sleep.
02:42
With so much going on, you might find it easy to crash on the couch
02:45
or even catch some Z’s on your desk or those fancy library armchairs.
02:48
Or, you might find yourself using your bed
02:49
for everything from studying and eating to watching TV
02:52
and scrolling through social media,
02:53
But if possible, reserve your bed for unwinding and sleeping;
02:57
reserve your workspace for…well, work.
02:59
This way, you start to train good habits and your brain will
03:01
associate “bed” with “rest” and “desk” with “work.”
03:04
Once you separate your work area from your rest area,
03:07
try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
03:10
Limit screen time and avoid caffeine before you plan on hitting the sack.
03:14
That means coffee, but that also means soda, tea, energy drinks, and chocolate,
03:16
since caffeine can be found in all of these, too.
03:19
All these things can affect your brain and keep you from falling asleep.
03:22
Sleep is important, and we’ve definitely got to make it a priority
03:25
as much as we can since without it, our brains kinda start to malfunction
03:28
-- which affects our mental health.
03:30
But when we’re not sleeping,
03:31
we’ve also got to make sure our brains have enough energy to function,
03:34
which makes nutrition another key way to protect your mental health.
03:37
As college students -- and just busy people --
03:39
we’re often looking for two things: fast and cheap.
03:43
And that might mean scavenging a lot of free pizza,
03:45
quickly microwaving some ramen noodles,
03:46
or just grabbing a coffee instead of stopping for lunch.
03:49
But if we let this become a habit and don’t also incorporate a variety of foods
03:53
with a variety of different nutrients,
03:55
we aren’t fueling our bodies to perform at their best.
03:57
And this can lead to lower grades, getting sick more frequently,
04:01
feeling tired and unmotivated, an inability to focus,
04:04
and experiencing depression and anxiety.
04:06
Healthy eating can mean a lot of different things for a lot of different people,
04:09
so we’ve put some general references in the description.
04:11
And we get it—healthier eating doesn’t always go hand in hand with fast and cheap.
04:15
If you can't afford nutritious meals and need help gaining access to these foods,
04:18
check in with your school’s health and wellness center about available resources.
04:22
Many colleges and universities address food insecurity
04:25
—which is insufficient access to healthy foods—
04:27
by establishing campus food pantries,
04:29
developing partnerships with community kitchens,
04:31
and enacting meal swipe programs,
04:33
which enable students to purchase a meal in the dining hall using a meal card.
04:37
And, many schools allow students
04:38
to apply for these food assistance programs anonymously.
04:40
We all deserve to nourish our bodies.
04:43
If your campus has a fitness or athletic center,
04:45
consider making a stop there once or twice a week.
04:47
But before you start any new exercise program,
04:48
you should always talk to your doctor about your baseline health
04:51
and find out if they have any concerns.
04:52
Ideally, you should take a friend with you to the gym.
04:54
This person is there to keep you company,
04:55
but you can also spot each other with weights and other challenging exercises.
04:59
This way, you run no chance of being the next viral video of someone
05:03
face planting while stepping onto a treadmill.
05:04
As for what you do at the gym, well, that depends on your interests!
05:07
You can go old-school with weight training, hit the elliptical,
05:10
take a class, or even use online options to help you craft an exercise routine.
05:14
There are apps for that, and you can also use social media
05:17
to find trainers posting short routines for their followers.
05:19
At first glance, it might seem odd to group physical health and meditation together.