During these difficult times, while everyone is required to stay at home and isolate as much as possible, it is more important than ever to
look after your mental health and wellbeing.
While many students
enjoy the flexibility and benefits of online study over traditional face-to-face classes, others are at risk of experiencing
feelings of anxiety and distress due to the uncertainty of the future and reduced social contact.
Supporting the mental health needs of our students is something that is very important to our team at Langports!
Please find below a few tips that may help you
take care of yourself in these times and
find balance in your life while studying online !
1. Nutrition
Eating a nutritious diet is not only good for your body it’s also
good for your brain. Your food choices can drastically affect
your mood and mental health. Staying at home more often may affect how often you shop for fresh food and the quantities and types of food you eat.
Plan your meals in advance! Taking some time to plan your weekly meals before heading to the supermarket will help you to make sure you include the variety of foods needed for a healthy diet in your shopping trolley!
Learn to cook online! Okay – you want to cook healthily! Now how do you actually do it? If your cooking skills need a bit of an upgrade, now is the perfect time to do it! Jump online, search for a dish and there is guaranteed to be a video tutorial showing you the exact steps needed to cook it to perfection!
Have a shopping list ready! This will help you stay focussed during your next shopping trip and stop you from getting distracted and suddenly ending up in the chocolate aisle 😉
2. Sleep
Sleep is absolutely
vital for your mental health and wellbeing. It not only gives your body physical rest, but its second function is about
cognition and helping to consolidate your memories. Poor sleep and poor mental health go hand in hand.
While adults are recommended to have about
7-9 hours of sleep, this varies from person to person. If you’re feeling sleepy during the day, simply try and
get off your phone a bit earlier in the evenings and maybe grab a book before bed to
reduce your screen time.
3. Exercise!
Exercise actually releases important chemicals that
improve your mood! If you exercise regularly, it will
reduce your stress and positively affect your mental health and
wellbeing. Spending more time at home luckily doesn’t mean you have to exercise less!
There are now more
online classes for any type of exercise than ever! Many of them are
free and customised to a home workout! If you are able, do take the chance to
go outside and get some fresh air while you exercise! Whether you’re walking, jogging or taking your weights down to the park –
connecting with nature is an important bonus!
4. Socialise & have fun!
Thanks to our connected world, you are able to
keep socialising with your friends and family – no matter where they are!
Make a habit of calling your grandma on Monday nights for example and meeting for a digital yoga session with your friend on Sundays.
Try out a few video chat tools with your friends and
have some fun! It’s a great way to
stay connected with old friends, new friends and family!
5. Practise mindfulness!
If you can’t go outside –
go inside. Practising mindfulness will
improve your life far beyond just mental health.
Mindfulness is many different things. It can be as simple as
showing kindness, feeling grateful and bringing joy to someone’s life.
Go for a walk, close your eyes and feel the breeze for a moment. It is taking notice –
staying in the moment and experiencing the world around you. It will make you
feel grounded and calm.
Taking ‘me’ time is important – try to find some time in your everyday life to
do something for yourself that you really enjoy.
Never hesitate to ask for help!
Whatever feelings you’re experiencing – it is never a sign of weakness to ask for help,
but one of strength! Whether it’s talking to a friend or family member, reaching out to your Langports teacher, or seeking assistance from professional support staff –
there is nothing wrong with asking for help.
The Langports team is always here to help you directly or to assist you in finding the best support services.
Support Services by the Australian Government
https://mentalwellbeing.initiatives.qld.gov.au/support
