Swinburne Student Survival Guide

8 tips on keeping your mental health in check

"I’m so tired, but I can’t give myself a break because I’ll fall behind on every class!" "I’m so tired, but if I were to stop working hard, my life would fall apart. "Omg! I feel so mentally drained. "I feel sluggish and tired, but I haven’t done much. Why?"

Do these remind you of yourself? If yes, it's time to take care of your mental health. 

Relaxing is such an understatement when you're a student because we never really give ourselves a break when we feel like our workload has caught up with us. As a result, I'm here today to share with you a few tips for taking better care of yourself and never talking down on yourself when you're exhausted or burned out. It is normal to feel tired and stressed because we are human beings, not human doings!

What can you do to better your mental health?

- Be active

- Journaling

- Try to get enough sleep

- Study breaks are important!

- Make sure you’re eating a balanced diet

- Take a day off per week just for yourself

  1. Go out with a friend
  2. Work on your hobbies
  3. Do the things you love
  4. Watch your favorite movie

- Don’t bottle your feelings up! Talk to someone!

  1. Swinburne Counselling
  2. Talk to your local doctor or GP about your mental health
  3. Headspace - Support and services to young people aged 12 - 25 years
  4. BetterHelp - Online Therapy Service that allows you to text or chat with a licensed therapist 24/7
  5. Butterfly Foundation - Support for Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues

- Meditation

  1. Headspace - Simple Meditation designed to improve mindfulness skills in just a few minutes per day (Get the deal from StudentEdge for the student plan at $12.99) 

- Self Help Resources for Mental Health Problems

For students who are struggling with mental health but are concerned about the cost of seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist, here are some resources you can use as self-monitoring to better understand yourself without spending a lot of money.

Centre for Clinical Interventions: Resources - Looking After Yourself 

-

Listen to studying abroad on a podcast called Life in General with Vanessa Chim, an international student from Swinburne.

life in general with Vanessa chim - studying abroad