Welcome to Day 5 of my Mental Health Week! So far, I’ve talked about why it’s okay to make mistakes, why I believe in hugs, and why the act of creating can be an incredible healer. With each post, I talk about an experience, lesson, or tip that has helped me acknowledge and deal with my depression and anxiety, and mental health, while connecting it to my life as a UBC student. Without further delay, it’s Day 5.
Day 5: Go to sleep
We all know how important sleep is for our whole health, including our mental health. Yet, we as a society are chronically sleep-deprived. Students are high on that list of deprivation. Diet, financial stress, hectic lifestyles, and technological distractions and stimulation all contribute to our zombie-like state. And at this time of year, when you’re downing coffee, eating junk, and getting little sleep because of the demands of exams and cramming for them, you need more sleep than ever, yet you’re probably getting less than ever.
It’s hard. It really is. I have poor sleeping habits and a spinal condition that makes falling asleep uncomfortable at times, not to mention a racing mind that rebels against turning off for even a second. What I do know is that when I do get a quality sleep, I feel so much better. More alert, more optimistic, and more capable of managing my mental health and academic career.
I don’t drink coffee or tea because of a gastric condition that I have. Blessing in disguise, huh? But it is though because I’d rather take an hour or two out of my day to nap, wake and feel at least somewhat rested, and work better, smarter, and more efficiently than jam up my nerves with caffeine and produce poor work and feel like my anxiety is going to blow out of my head.
I like to play the sounds of a crackling fire on my phone after I turn the lights out. I spray lavender mist over my bed and use an essential oil diffuser with lavender oil, of course. I count slowly backwards from 100 with deep inhales and exhales for each count. These mechanisms don’t always work, but they sometimes do and in the least I feel emotionally better because I’ve cared for myself.
It’s a challenge, I know. I get it. But I encourage you to find rest as much as possible. Be it a nap, going to bed early, or just closing your eyes and breathing in the fresh air of the Salish Sea our campus is perched on.
Whatever you can manage, your mental health, your whole health, will thank you.
My fellow UBC students: How do you find rest in your day? What tips do you have to fall asleep and sleep deeper? I’d love to know! Share them with me on Twitter, Instagram, or right here on the blog. Thanks for following along.
#MentalHealth