Roar contributor Florian Kurt discusses mental and physical wellbeing, and how they are often intertwined.
This upcoming year will be an exciting and refreshing year for all students. But I would like to stress an important message to all students. In the last two years, Covid-19 has taken a high toll on many of us. The World Health Organisation (WHO) released an article in March 2022 stating that cases of anxiety and depression have increased by 25% worldwide as a result of the pandemic.
Needless to say, it remains of the utmost importance that you prioritise your own wellbeing, regardless of your age, gender, course, or anything else. Depression and anxiety have become more of a subject for day-to-day discussion. In this article, I would like to share with you some of my top tips on what to do if you experience negative emotions.
Be not solitary, be not idle
This advice comes from a 400-year-old self-help book written by Robert Burton, ‘The Anatomy of Melancholy’. “Be not solitary, be not idle”, still seems to be an effective way to deal with negative emotions. Exercise regularly and don’t estrange from contact with others. The perfect way to meet new friends and keep up with exercising is to join a sports team. Not a big fan of team sports? No worries! Try out the King’s Gym, perhaps you’ll like it.
Cut out people who drain your energy
Following up on seeking contact with others, cut out people who drain your patience and peace of mind. It goes without saying that even if staying active and around other people, the wrong ‘friends’ can still lead to anxieties and isolation. Do not hang out with people who are jealous, resentful, or angry with you for no good reason. Instead, find people who are uplifting and who share the same interests as you.
Eat a high-protein, low-sugar breakfast.
This might sound like familiar territory to you. Eat your breakfast. Avoid eating too many sugars and add protein. A breakfast like this has a couple of benefits: it will make you feel fuller for longer, it will give you more energy, and you won’t experience a sugar crash before lunch. Feeling hungry often leads to mood swings, stress and negative emotions. So it’s important to eat a healthy breakfast to get into a positive routine and to start your day right.
Get enough sleep
Numerous studies have shown that even slight sleep deprivation can have a significant effect on your mood. Studies from the University of Pennsylvania showed that subjects who were limited to 4.5 hours of sleep reported experiencing more negative emotions than before. Try to get at least 7 hours a day to boost wellbeing. If you don’t feel sleepy at a normal bedtime, it is probably because your sleep schedule is abnormal. Force yourself to wake up between early, resist the urge to take a nap and you should (hopefully!) be able to fall asleep by midnight and fix your broken schedule.
Lastly, remember that negative thoughts are a part of life. Even following all of the proper advice, ill moods and being down is sometimes inevitable. Everybody has negative emotions and bad days, regardless of what social media tries to tell you. These are often temporary and endurable if you have the patience and willpower to overcome them. Try to put these healthy habits into place, but if anxious or depressed feelings do persist, help services are available online.
