Tips for Winter Wellness
Completing a graduate degree puts stress on many students. The standards and expectations are high: your fellow students are also motivated, the coursework is much more challenging, and you are expected to be more independent. As a result, students may begin to unintentionally jeopardize their health and well-being as their workloads increase. Follow our tips to ensure that you remain at the top of your game.
- Drinks lots of water
• Get plenty of exercise
• Eat well
• If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly
• Get enough sleep
• Keep in touch with your loved ones
• Build new friendships
• Put limits on work hours
• Take time every day to switch-off
• Commit to one healthy, stress-relieving activity per day
• Take time away from your “screens” (computers, cell phones, televisions, tablets etc.)
• Visit your doctor regularly for physicals, blood pressure checks and to get your annual flu shot.
Remember that at the Seattle campus, the students come first. If you are feeling overwhelmed, please reach out and ask for help from professors, tutors, staff and friends.
Get your flu shot
As winter approaches, the risk of contracting the flu increases significantly. Some people will only be mildly ill for a few days, but flu can be very serious, and may result in hospitalization or even death. What is the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu? Get the flu shot!
The flu vaccine is widely available. See your doctor or another health care professional to get your flu shot. Other locations offering the flu vaccine include pharmacies, health departments, and urgent care clinics.
Stress Management
Nobody is immune from stress. Stress occurs when an individual’s tension remains at an elevated level. Excessive stress can completely overwhelm people. Stress is a part of everyday life and a healthy amount of stress can even prove to be beneficial in certain circumstance (for example, when a fire alarm goes off and it is time to evacuate). However, when people have experience too much stress, they can be negatively affected. Stress can harm an individual’s emotional and physical health. It can also affect their ability to function and can cause tension at home, at work or school, as well as in relationships.
The good news is that students can learn to manage stress by learning and practicing specific stress reduction techniques. Some of these techniques are outlined below:
- Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night
• Eat well
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid unnatural energy boosters, such as caffeinated drinks
• Limit your alcohol intake
• Talk to your tutors
• Get emotional support from friends, family and/or professionals
• Continue to pursue hobbies and interest
• Try not overload yourself
• Do deep-breathing exercises
• Learn to work within your limits and set realistic goals for yourself
Coping with Homesickness
No matter how excited you may be about college life, even the most independent student can find themselves struggling with homesickness. Homesickness is a feeling of distress or anxiety caused by being separated from home. Homesickness affects most people over the course of their lifetime, so it is important to realize you are not alone. However, it is important to cope with homesickness in a healthy, positive way, as depression can manifest if homesickness is not acknowledged and dealt with. Acknowledging and accepting homesickness is crucial when it comes to adapting to your new surroundings and learning to live a new life.
Check out these tips to help combat homesickness.
- Start as a tourist, then work on setting a routine
• Stay connected to your families and loved ones – but not TOO connected
• Make a list for exploring your new country
• Do something new every day, even if it scares you … The local cuisine won’t be THAT bad!
• Make your new home a home
• Talk to other students on campus
• Remain positive
• Look at this time as an exciting opportunity
• Realize that missing home is absolutely normal