Being an adult student isn’t always easy, and with many hats to wear you may find yourself placing your “student” hat on the back burner. As you get back into your routine at Bryan University, we want to help you stay energized and reach your career goals.
It’s important to stay energized not only physically, but mentally. Here are five tips to help you put this into practice.
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1. Exercise Regularly
Now, “exercise regularly” doesn’t mean you have to do 5 a.m. intensive interval training every morning of the week. Find an exercise routine that works for you and your schedule; it doesn’t have to be complicated. According to the Mayo Clinic, brisk walking has quite a few benefits, including:
– Promoting a healthy weight
– Promoting prevention of illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type two diabetes
– Strengthening of your bones and muscles
– Improving your mood
– Improving your balance and coordination.
When you have a break in between your courses or a lunch hour at work, go on a quick walk to improve your physical health and mental health every day!
2. Stretch
Like exercise, stretching also has positive effects on your mental health. As a student, it’s normal to deal with stress at some point in your education. Yoga stretches have been proven to improve your stress response. And according to a Harvard Mental Health Letter, when a study was conducted on a group of emotionally distressed participants who practiced yoga stretches regularly for three months, researchers saw their depression scores improve by 50 percent, anxiety scores by 30 percent and overall well-being scores by 65 percent.
This year, if you find yourself in a stressful period of time as you work toward your career goals, take a few moments every night before bed or every morning when you wake up to stretch.
3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Make your “all-nighters” a thing of the past! It’s a new year and it’s time to get to bed early. Sleep is important to both your mental and physical health.
“Sleep helps your brain work properly. While you’re sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. It’s forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information… [It] plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels,” stated the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
4. Take Mental Breaks
As you spend this year working to achieve your career goals, you may try to convince yourself you don’t have time for any breaks. If this is the case, you may be hurting yourself instead of helping. The Scientific American published an article focusing on the benefit of taking regular breaks throughout your day.
“Downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life,” the article stated.
The importance of mental breaks goes beyond focusing on your work, it’s crucial to your brain’s ability to function at its full potential.
5. Make a “To-Do” List
Don’t let the tasks you must accomplish float around aimlessly in your mind and overwhelm you from the moment you open your eyes in the morning. Be realistic about what you can accomplish during the day and make a list. NPR noted in an article that lists enable you to wrap your head around overwhelming tasks and lead to action. If you want your “action” this year to be reaching your career goals, then a list can help you get there.
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Reach Your Career Goals at Bryan
At Bryan University we are here for you. As you make this new year the year you reach your career goals, we will be there every step along the way. Incorporate these five easy steps into your everyday life to stay energized and on track with your education. If you’re interested in getting your education started call us !
For more information about Bryan University graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed our programs, transferability of credits and other important information, please visit our website.