Graduate school is no joke, it takes extreme dedication and an intense focus on self-improvement to even begin, let alone finish a postgraduate degree. The benefits are incredible: increased job prospects, the allure of higher pay, and a better background of knowledge to draw from. But Graduate school can take its toll, both physically and mentally on those who embark on its path.
Make sure you’re getting enough sleep.
This may seem like an obvious one, but many grad students don’t make the commitment to sleeping enough, and their performance and mood suffer as a result. If you don’t get the recommended seven to nine hours each night, your mind will begin to fuzz, it’s only a matter of time.
Sleep helps your mind translate the lessons from the day from short term to long term memory, and it allows your receptors the much-needed break from the constant activity they are subjected to in the classroom. Put simply, your mind needs time to process the massive quantities of information you are feeding it on a daily basis, sleep is the answer to that problem.
Keep yourself healthy and fit.
Just like sleep, keeping fit is more than your looks. Scientists suggest that running is a great way to help your mind compartmentalize your experiences.
Many runners report what they call a “runner’s high” that allows them a unique clarity of vision that is simply not possible to achieve without the increased blood flow and oxygenation that occurs as a result of muscle fatigue and the incredible movement of air rapidly into and out from your body.
Taking half an hour out of your day to jog around the park or city can do wonders for your creative flow and time management.
Engage with your professors.
As a graduate student, you should make time to engage with your professors as often as possible. As an undergrad, you are learning from teachers, but in postgraduate work, there is a give and take between teacher and student. You are the cream of the crop, and your instructors are genuinely interested in your thoughts on that last reading assignment. You are in school to become them one day, so building relationships with these field experts now while you see them every day is an important part of the grad school experience.
Keep up with your doctor.
As a college student, staying up to date on doctor’s visits is essential to a functioning brain and body. You are no good to anyone if you’re constantly sick, so keeping up with shots and required medicine is imperative to success in grad school. As well, adding an Rx discount card to your arsenal can get you low priced prescription medicine without any extra hassle, saving you cash on top of your tip-top health record.
After graduation, it’s essential to maintain a good regimen with your healthcare provider as well, post-graduation depression hits many once they realize they have to venture out into the real world and get a job.
College years are incredibly stimulating both in social life and for your mental development, and their absence sends many into sadness. Don’t let your diploma and separation from the campus as a recent graduate stop you from forging ahead and making incredible contributions to your field.
Start saving now.
Poor cash flow is one of the primary factors relating to increases in stress. By maintaining a robust savings account while you are young you can learn these important cash management lessons early on and head off these negative thoughts long before they become a problem.
Forming good cash-management habits now means financial security in the future and lower stress in the short term.
Graduate school is full of opportunities. Make sure you take care of your physical and mental health during your time in this fantastic opportunity in order to make the most of it.
