Take Care of Your Mental Health and Well-Being This Winter Break

Mental health care in the United States has become a much bigger issue since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, but here are a few recommendations to relieve some stress.

With the semester wrapping up, we are all certainly in need of a break, but how we choose to spend that break is extremely important to our mental health and well-being. This semester, more than usual, has caused students to spend long hours staring at screens. In fact, 97% of college students have switched to online instruction this year. This is significantly more than 2017, just three years ago, when only 13.3% of undergraduate students took entirely online courses. This means that technology is even more a part of these students lives than before, and considering the fact that eight in 10 Americans are attached to their phones, tablets and other gadgets daily, that’s a lot of time spent behind a screen. 

Watching Tik Toks, binging Netflix and scrolling social media might not be the mental vacation that we all need to recover from this highly technologically based semester as winter break approaches.

Here are some things you can do to relax, have fun and take care of your mental health and well-being as well this winter break.

1. Meditate

Meditation is a great way to re-center after a long and stressful semester. According to Mayo Clinic, emotional benefits of meditation include reducing negative emotions, gaining a new perspective on stressful situations and focusing on the present among others. 

2. Designate one day a week to being “screen free”

After a long semester of staring at screens, taking one day a week to live as much as possible without screens allows you to be present, to be creative and to explore the different ways you can spend your time.  

3. Spend time outside

Even though it is getting colder outside, spending time in nature is great for your mental health and recharging. According to Harvard Medical School, taking walks outside or spending time in nature has a strong connection with reducing stress, anxiety and depression. So, bundle up, get outside and get moving to feel better after the long semester. 

4. Have a consistent bedtime

Consistently going to bed at the same time every day helps eliminate minor sleep problems and helps improve overall sleep quality, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This will not only help you mentally rest during break but also is really good for your physical health. And it will insure that you catch up on all of the sleep missed from the semester with quality, consistent sleep. 

5. Exercise or move around

While exercise may seem counterintuitive to resting during break, it significantly helps your mental health and overall well-being. Aerobic exercises can help reduce anxiety and depression as well as stress. So, take that mental break by working out, going for a walk or even just making sure you aren’t sitting still all day and you’ll see the benefits on your health.