The health of your mind is central to navigating the demands of academic life. I recently got to talk to some Honours students from CHASS about looking after theirs.
Yesterday (11/7/24) I got to speak to some Honours students in Arts and Archaeology, who are heading into the busy last half of the year writing their theses.
Presenting was me and Ana, one of the Student Success and Wellbeing Advisors (SSWAs). It was an opportunity to remind students of good self-care and relevant support services they could access.
It was a small group, which honestly was surprising given that there was free beer, wine, and pizza there.
For my talk I focused on what it means to look after one’s mind (given how important one’s mind is for doing high quality academic work).
I specifically referenced the Big 5 work, from a research group out of Macquarie. That work indicates there are five ‘proven activities that lead to better mental health’.
They are:
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meaningful activities
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healthy thinking
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goals and plans
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healthy routines
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social connections
I have actually written about that work previously on the blog.
The concept is pretty simple. The more often you can engage in these activities the better foundation you create for good mental health. Importantly though, these activities need not take a lot of time. And if there is something that students reliably tell me, it is that after study, work and other responsibilities are taken into consideration, they don’t feel like they have a lot of time for other things.
With that in mind, the Big 5 can be activated in small ways. For example:
- Meaningful Activities: Listen to a favourite podcast or read a chapter of a book for 10-15 minutes during a break.
- Healthy Thinking: Spend 5 minutes in the morning practicing gratitude by writing down three things they are thankful for.
- Goals and Plans: Set a small, achievable goal for the day, like reviewing lecture notes for 20 minutes between classes.
- Healthy Routines: Consistently eat a healthy breakfast to kickstart the day.
- Social Connections: Message a friend or join a study group for 10-15 minutes to discuss assignments.
For those who were in attendance, it was lovely to talk to you and I wish you all the best with your theses this year.
The slides from my presentation can be accessed here.
You can learn more about the Big 5 here.
You can subscribe to the Student Health and Wellbeing Blog here.
You can make an appointment to speak to a Student Success and Wellbeing Advisor here.
If you think you need to speak to a counsellor (i.e. mental health challenges), learn more here.
