Mental Health Check-in With Sara Corcoran: How to Mentally Finish Off the School Year Strong!
What signals does our body usually provide to show that we need to take a break?
“You could expect to see both mental and physical indicators. Mentally, you could expect fatigue and difficulty focusing. However, physically, leg and neck soreness from sitting for a long time or tired eyes from focusing on screens throughout a large portion of the day are prevalent indicators that it is time to distance yourself from that environment for a while.”
What is the ideal amount of sleep students should strive for each night?
“Required sleep time varies between people, but most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. However, if you wake up feeling refreshed in the morning and awake during the day, you are probably getting enough rest. It is common for students to neglect sleep during this time of year to try to complete more academic responsibilities, but sleep is extremely vital for proper biological functioning and learning and memory.”
What are the indicators that suggest you should take a day off?
“You might experience heightened stress, irritability, forgetfulness, low energy, impatience, or difficulty concentrating. However, it is critical to remember stress is normal and is bound to happen, especially at this time of the year. Therefore, you must practice self-care, which might mean taking a day off to focus on your well-being.”
What do you recommend for students to handle feelings of guilt when they take breaks?
“This is a tough one, but I encourage students to remember that breaks are productive, too. Taking breaks allows you to return to your studying more refreshed, energized, motivated, and focused, which is, ultimately, more effective than debilitating the mind with the incessant absorption of information. Therefore, when you have been working on a paper for a long, linear period and your brain does not seem to function coherently anymore, it is likely faster and more innovative to step away from the assignment and return to it later.”
What are the short and long term effects of pushing yourself too hard?
“Short-term effects include physical and mental fatigue, decreased motivation and performance, brain fog, and intensified stress. Furthermore, when you have been pushing for a longer term and not prioritizing your well-being, you will start to see some characteristics of burnout. However, long-term effects are chronic fatigue, cardiovascular problems, digestive issues, muscle tension, weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, and memory complications.”