Trying to stay healthy while in grad school can be challenging. Often, we find ourselves trying to balance work, relationships, and navigating adulthood, which lands health and wellness at the end of our list of priorities. However, it is equally important to focus on your health as it is your studies.
When I joined NU for grad school, I had this idea that it would be pretty similar to undergrad. I knew the classes would be harder, but I figured hey I’m older and wiser, how difficult could it be to balance everything? Honestly, it hasn’t always been as easy as I had hoped. I found myself falling back into my old habits from undergrad. Staying up way later than I should, scrolling endlessly through social media, not taking the time to make healthy meal choices, and forgetting to take moments for myself. I was not prioritizing my physical or mental health.
While my studies are important, I knew I needed to take action to take better care of myself. With this in mind, I have made it my new personal mission to figure out what makes me feel good and then keep making time for those things to help me achieve a healthy balance. Even though life is always busy, I’m working on setting habits that will continue to serve me better now and in the future.
Everyone defines health differently but to me, my health includes physical, mental, and emotional wellness. When I really think about it, I see that when my overall health is better, I am also better equipped to manage stress and uphold a positive work-life balance. Which for me, is something that’s definitely worth working towards having more of.
The two biggest factors that affect my overall health are:
Stress and Not taking time for myself to focus on my physical and mental health
With those in mind, here’s my current list of wellness goals:
- Make time for my mental and physical health.
- Figure out what is causing my stress.
- Examine my life and see if there are places where I can limit or cut-back on my stressors (preventing the stress from happening).
- Where they can’t be cut (e.g: my upcoming midterm exam), what are some things I can do to be better prepared for it.
- When stressful things do happen, as they inevitably will — what are some techniques I can use to deal with it (one of mine is making lists!)
- Find better balance.
Here’s a list of some of the on-campus resources that I’ve found to be helpful:
- Group Fitness classes through Campus Recreation
- Guided meditation in the Sacred Space, run by the Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service
- Behavioral health and nutrition guidance at University Health and Counseling Services
- Support Groups & Workshops offered through Northeastern’s University Health and Counseling Services
- Clubs & Organizations available to make new friends who share similar interests and reduce feelings of isolation
After all my time here, my biggest piece of wellness advice is to figure out what you need to bring balance to your life, take action to promote balance, and never forget to make time for yourself along the way.
(One of my favorite ways to take time for myself is to go on walks, here is a photo of me enjoying a quick break under a cherry blossom tree #balance)
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