Greetings readers,

Today, I am going to talk about good strategies to improve your mental health at the University of Iowa. As the weather gets colder and the assignments pile up, it’s important to make sure you are taking time for yourself.  I do a variety of different things to keep my mental health positive, but everyone is different. What works for me might not be your jam, so I am including activities my friends do, too, for some variety.

• Getting active
  • My favorite thing to do is take a long walk, either alone or with friends.
  • I also love to go to the rec center and exercise.  Personally, I like to either do the row machine, elliptical, or bike.
  • One of my friends loves to go to pick up volleyball games that happen every Tuesday and Thursday!
  • I’ve also gone to fitness classes offered by the Rec Center. If you are a student, you can find them on your MyUI page, and if not, they are on the Fitness Center website for everyone.
• Hanging out with friends 
  • On Tuesdays, Insomnia gives out free cookies if you come in your PJs. I love to go with my friends and grab cookies.
  • Every Tuesday night, there is a new DWTS episode. One of my friends meets up with me every week to watch it.
  • Finally, every Friday, my roommate and I do what we call Fro-yo Fridays to celebrate getting through the week.
• Staying Organized and Keeping Clean 
  • I keep track of all my assignments on my phone’s reminder app (I have another post about how to stay organized with college assignments coming soon).
  • I also clean my dorm once a week, usually on Thursday.
• Getting sweet treats
  • After a long day, I love to use my dining dollars to grab a smoothie at the gym.
  • I also love to walk to the campus Starbucks and grab a drink.
• Having time to relax  
  • I love to curl up with a good book (right now I’m reading The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher).
  • I also love to do Yoga/ meditation in my dorm room.

These are just a few of the things I do to make sure that I am taking time for myself and my mental health when I am busy.  I hope you try to incorporate one or more of these things into your day if you are feeling overwhelmed by homework or classes.

Until next time,
Savannah