For those of you starting your first year at UBC, welcome! For those coming back for another year, welcome back! To kick off this school year, I thought a good article to start off with would be to talk about some ways to take care of your general mental health and wellbeing. Most of these are things that I’ve learned within the last year and it’s helped me significantly to improve and maintain good mental health and wellbeing. Hopefully you’ll find these helpful as well!
1. Surround yourself with positive people
- This is something easier said than done, but the people you surround yourself with can greatly affect your mental health and wellbeing. Seeking out people that like the same activities as you, make you feel good about yourself, and are just positive people in general is the best thing you could do for yourself, especially at university. Put yourself out there as best as you can and meet lots of people, and you’ll find some people or groups of people that you really like and that make you happy. Nothing’s worse than hanging out with people that you don’t really like or that make you feel bad, so seek out the people you do like and that make you feel good.
2. Avoid situations that make you uncomfortable
- Again, something that can be easier said than done. But if you’re not the type of person that likes to party at frats or go to clubs, you are under no obligation to go to those types of places. Good friends will understand and still like you even if you don’t go. This goes for any situation that you don’t like or that makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to be there (even if it feels like you do because of social pressures or other things). You deserve to have fun and feel comfortable, so try not to put yourself in situations that you know will make you uncomfortable. In the end, it’s not really worth it.
3. Take as much time as you need
- This may sound a bit vague, but it’s a general rule I’ve established for myself that has helped me significantly. Take as much time as you need to get a task done, to take care of yourself, to open up to people, and so on. You’re in no rush to complete anything, so don’t rush yourself through just to get to the end. Most of the time it’s not necessary and just causes more stress than anything.
4. Don’t take on more than you can handle
- I know that with going to university, especially during your first year, there’s a lot of pressure to enroll in as many courses as possible, while joining five or more clubs, while also having a job, while also trying to make as many friends as you can. Lots of times, this can be so overwhelming and makes everything less enjoyable. University is supposed to be a time for learning, exploration, and growth; by weighing yourself down with a multitude of responsibilities, it can negatively impact your mental health and wellbeing. Start out small to see what you can handle, and then move on from there. You don’t need to do it all.
5. Communicate
- This is the biggest one that I have struggled with for a long time and am finally starting to do it myself. Communicate honestly with your friends and family about how you’re doing. If you’re not feeling well, tell them you’re not feeling well. If you feel uncomfortable with something or someone, talk to someone you trust about it. People won’t know how you’re feeling if you don’t tell them, they’re not mind readers. So letting your friends know how you’re feeling is really important. It will make you feel less guilty for asking for their support or for spending time alone to take care of yourself, or other situations like that. People can be more kind than we expect, and if you just talk to them, they’ll most likely be empathetic and understanding to your situation. Having people to support you and understand your current situation is the best thing someone could ask for, and communication is the best way to get that.
I hope that some of these bits of advice can help you during the new school year and beyond. University is supposed to be a positive, happy place, so do your best to make it that! We all deserve a positive experience no matter what we’re doing. I wish you the best at UBC and beyond.
Written by Shelby Rogers