File Photo/Nevada Sagebrush
Claire McNamara, left, and Jie Chen, right, pose holding a sign that reads “No Stigma Nevada”. The campaign aims to end the stigma towards mental illness.

School is back in full swing and so is sleep deprivation and a mountain of assignments. Having a full schedule and being on the move all the time can be draining and overwhelming. 

We are still in the middle of a pandemic, which is stressful all on its own. It is especially important due to the added pressures of school and COVID-19 that you are looking after your mental and physical well-being. The pressure that college students receive is immense and it is important to know there is no shame in asking or getting help. 

No matter what anyone else may say. Sometimes it can be challenging to know when you need to take a break and relax. Stress can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with, so do your best to check in with yourself at the end of the day. How are you feeling? Are you doing okay? Is there anything you can do to make yourself less stressed? Do you need to take a few hours to recharge? What can you do to make sure that at least one good thing happened today?

Fortunately for us, we live in a time where there is an app for everything—and not just one app, but lots of apps. A good app that I would recommend is SAM. It has breathing exercises and guided meditation. The app’s focus is to help students get to the root cause of their stress. If you would rather have an app that doesn’t involve figuring out your stress, there are apps like Colorfy. Colorfy’s purpose is to aid in distraction. This app allows you to take a break from the stress of what’s going on to color. Although coloring may seem like a mundane activity it can be a helpful outlet in your life.

Time can easily escape you when studying or cranking out homework, and before you know it you might realize you have yet to eat anything that day. Accidentally skipping meals is something that happens to a lot of us, me included. Your body needs food to be able to run properly and effectively; missing multiple meals may lead to sluggishness and difficulty focusing, so feeding yourself is the best way to give it the natural energy it needs.

Drinking the proper amount of water can also help improve each and every day. Light dehydration can impair your mood, memory and brain performance. In order to get the most out of your day, make sure you are drinking enough water for your body weight and the activities you do in a day.

Sitting for extended periods of time every day is not good for anyone. If you are studying or doing homework, remember to occasionally stand up and stretch. As a college student and adult, you should do your best to exercise for at least 30 minutes once a day.

The university also provides counseling services to students as a part of their tuition. You can schedule an appointment or do an anonymous mental health screening through their website. The screening will ask you multiple questions, and at the end it will give you an extensive explanation based on your results. You will also be given informational materials and tools about what you can do to understand your results.

At the end of the day, you are the only you that you’ve got. Make sure that you are taking care of yourself and are proud of the person you are becoming. There is no shame in taking care of yourself, and you should also look out for those around you as well. It may sometimes be hard for people to identify within themselves that they are struggling, and we all need a reminder to slow down and breathe. You’ve got this.

Sydney Avery can be reached at sydneyavery@nevada.unr.edu or on Twitter @sydneyavery08