From navigating change to managing stress: expert wellbeing tips for students

University can be the best of times, or when problems arise and assignments mount up, it can feel like the worst of times. Having some mental health-boosting routines and strategies in place can make it easier to navigate the ups and downs, and often, it’s the small steps we take every day that make the biggest difference. 
 
Dr Dougal Sutherland is a Clinical Psychologist and teaching fellow at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington School of Psychology. Here, he shares his top advice for staying mentally well while studying.  

Harness the power of routines 

Whether it’s a weekly walk or regular phone call with family, having some routines across various areas of life can help you stay grounded and happy. This can be particularly important if you're in a phase of life where everything feels new and uncertain, like when you’re a first-year student who has moved away from home, or you're in a different city to start your first job out of uni.  
 
“It’s important to establish some daily and weekly rhythms or ‘tentpoles’ in life, that are regular and reliable,” says Dougal. “Things like, on this particular day I ring Mum, or my brother, or whoever it might be, and on this day I go for a swim, and this day I go for a walk. It’s about scheduling them in just like you would with a lecture or appointment. This gives the structure of having something solid around you that is relatively unchanging, especially when other things might feel a bit chaotic.”  

Get to know how you tick, and use it to structure your day 

University is a good time to figure out all those nuances about yourself like, when do you work best? Are you an early bird? Or a night owl? When are you most productive?  
 
“It’s about doing a bit of self-discovery, figuring out the best times for you to concentrate and study, and as much as you can, mapping your work around those patterns.” 
 
Once you know what works for you, adding some structure to the day can help when it comes to managing stress and high workloads.  
 
“It sounds boring, but timetabling in when you are going to study and for how long, as well as when you're going to take breaks and stop working, can be really effective,” Dougal says. “It’s also a way of breaking big tasks down into more manageable steps.” 

Stay connected 

Loneliness is a widespread problem of our modern life, regardless of your age or stage. If you’re feeling out of the loop with others, Dougal says the first step is to get proactive. 
 
“If you’ve moved away from home to go to university, and you have strong connections with people at home, it’s a good idea to keep those relationships as strong as you can.  
 
“It’s also about putting yourself out there a bit, and this might mean getting out of your comfort zone. Start by looking for clubs and societies with people that have similar interests to you. As you go along, it’s important to remember that there is always an element of trial and error when making new relationships and meeting new people. Not all of it will work out, and it’s about realising that that’s ok.”