It really is not the best time to be a student right now. The global pandemic has diminished many things for students: their grades, their morals, their mental health and much more. If you are feeling low, here are some things that you should start telling yourself every day.
“My happiness is one of the most important things” – While there are not many things available that make students typically happy, like bars, restaurants or outdoor activities, it is important to find other ways to stay happy. Happiness helps us achieve so many things in life, like our goals. I have written this in numerous articles but it is so essential that people realise that unhappiness can lead to severe health conditions. Do not force yourself to think it is selfish to prioritise yourself. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have positive feelings for yourself.
“My health is another crucial thing” – There is so much going on in the world right now for students: Coronavirus, part-time work, university work, graduation plans, potential holidays, the list can go on. With all these factors, it can be hard to forget about your own health. There are many cases of people not attending appointments or not making them. While the world may be a scary place right now, it will get even scarier if you do not look after yourself. When you feel a little off or you know that something is not right, tell yourself: “My health is a crucial thing.”
“The work I am doing is enough” – When it comes to the university work that you are doing, you can go through a lot of emotions when completing it. Probably the most common experiences that many students go through are feeling unmotivated, detachment from their normal life and depression. Those are very hard things to pull yourself out of. This article is not saying that these phrases will be able to instantly make your life different, it is about the development and taking your time to go through the process. However, by telling yourself that you are enough and that the things you do are, hopefully, it may help you stay grounded through it all.
“People’s opinions do not matter” – Of course there are opinions that should be valued, like your own or your close friends and family. However, if you have someone, who you have spoken to a maximum of two sentences throughout your whole life – giving negative feedback on your life, work, health or any other aspect, ignore it! Once you start differentiating between people who you should value and people who you should not, it becomes easier to deal with those comments. Respect is something that you should keep in mind, this phrase is not telling you to completely disrespect or disregard someone based on their opinion. It is telling you to acknowledge it and move on. The more time you spend dwelling over something, the more it is going to eat you up.
“I will not compare myself to others” – One of the worst things you can do is put yourself down by comparing yourself to someone else. Especially when you do not know the full story. Let’s use work as an example because it is one that probably happens the most. You have certainly looked at someone in your class or worked next to them and thought, ‘they are way further ahead than me on this assignment, I need to hurry up’. Everyone works at different paces and if someone is ahead of you, stop paying attention to what they are doing, You are only going to panic and slow down even more. By comparing yourself to others, you are stopping yourself from reaching your full potential and stopping yourself from being you.
“I deserve some rest time” – Essays, assignments and tests have not been easy tasks during the lockdown. There has been a lot of pressure on students to quickly adapt to the current circumstances and carry on with their work. It is important to make sure you do not burn out, which can sometimes be the last stage before people give up on their work completely or drop out. Taking breaks is essential, whether that is a quick 15 minutes or a whole day. No matter how much work you have done that day, you deserve a break as your mental, emotional and physical state is more important.
“My family and friends do care about me” – If someone has not checked in on you or spoken to you in a while, do not assume the worst. Jumping to conclusions is going to make things worse and the silence may not be due to what you think it is. The person may also be going through something and distancing themselves from the people around them. Instead of waiting for people to come to you, reach out to them. They may be thinking the same thing as you. Sometimes your mind can trick you into thinking that people are being ‘off’ with you by their words or actions. No one can stop caring about someone quicker than a click. If you do feel like something is wrong, again, reach out and talk.
Say at least half of these to yourself every day, look in the mirror or in the camera app on your phone and talk to yourself. The more you say them, the more you may believe them and they could transform your day.