Physical and mental health

A healthy mind and a healthy body come together.
So, take care of your physical and mental health.

Physical health

Good physical health has benefits in terms of:

• Mental health, happiness and resilience
• Social relationships
• Memory and concentration
• Creativity

How can you boost your physical health?

• Get enough sleep

Sufficient sleep is essential for a well-functioning brain. Individuals aged 18 to 25 need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

If you don't get enough sleep:

- You may become more easily distracted
- Your ability to remember things diminishes
- Your self-discipline decreases
- Your creativity decreases

• Read more about the effect of sleep deprivation on your brain (website)
• These are the advantages of a good night's sleep on your study (video, 6’)

Do you have trouble sleeping?
- More information and sleep advice (website)
- Create better sleep habits with these 6 tips (video, 5’)
- Be careful with sleeping pills (website)

• Eat healthy

A balanced diet is an essential requirement for a healthy brain. Your brain needs sufficient energy and nutrients to function optimally.

Unhealthy food can negatively impact your mood and learning ability.

• Learn more about the effect of food on your brain (video, 4’)
• These foods are beneficial for your brain (website)
• Try these ‘brain foods’ (infographic)

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• Drink enough water
  Drink 1.5 to 2 litres of water daily to boost your cognitive performance and avoid headaches.

Tip
Keep a bottle of water within reach while studying.

• Discover why water is vital for your brain (infographic)
• That's why water is good for you (video, 3')

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• Avoid excessive caffeine consumption

Cola, coffee, and energy drinks can boost your concentration. However, excessive consumption can lead to side effects such as insomnia, nervousness, tremors, anxiety, headaches, stomach and intestinal complaints, and an irregular heartbeat. Additionally, caffeine can be addictive.
So, use caffeine in moderation.

• Read more about the pros and cons of caffeine (website)
• Learn about the effects of energy drinks (website)
• How much caffeine can you use? (infographic)

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• Get oxygen

Bring enough fresh air into your study environment. Your brain needs a lot of oxygen to function properly.

Open the window regularly, and avoid smoking where you study. Additionally, having plants in your room can help purify the air.

Tip
Go outside for a walk every day.

• Read about the positive effects of fresh air (website)
• 3 essential rules for good indoor air quality (infographic)
• Bring these plants into your home for extra oxygen (video, 3')

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• Engage in sports or exercise

The benefits of sports:

- Improved concentration and memorization
- Enhanced mood: it reduces stress and anxiety, making you feel happier

So don't take study breaks in front of your PC or TV, but go for a walk, exercise, go shopping, or just shower or brush your teeth. Climbing stairs or rope skipping also works well.

• This website helps you to get more exercise (website)
• Experience the effect of sport on your brain (video, 13')
• In summary: the benefits of exercise (infographic)

If you have mental or emotional troubles, it can get in the way of your studies.

What helps you stay mentally fit and healthy, summarised:

• 5 building blocks of wellbeing (website)
• Schematic overview of the 5 building blocks to well-being (infographic)

These concrete tips can help you:

• Eat, exercise and sleep smart
  What you eat and drink and how much exercise and sleep you get influence your thoughts and feelings.
  Go through the tips for good physical health, get started and notice the effect!
• Social connections
  You need contact with other people to feel happy.

Surround yourself with people who make you feel good and keep in touch with loved ones.

• Read more about why relatedness is important and how you can make contact (website)
• How to start a conversation (video, 10')
• The importance of relatedness summarised (infographic)

• Do you feel lonely? You are not alone.
  Check more information and tips on loneliness (website)

Did you know…
Extensive social media use can make you feel more lonely.
Read more about the effects of social media (website)
So try to meet people in real life, too!

• Do you want to meet new people at Hasselt University?

• Discover these cultural activities (website)
• Subscribe for sport activities (website)
• Participate in our buddy programme (website)

• Charge your batteries
  Every day, take time for something you enjoy and look forward to, which evokes positive feelings and is good for you.
  This gives you the energy to tackle daily tasks and deal with setbacks.

• Why me-time is important (infographic)
• Read about the benefits of doing something for yourself every day (website)
• The experience of someone who started to do something she loved every day (website)

Did you know...
Practising gratitude (website) makes you happier and gives you more energy.

• Positive thinking?
  Positive thinking is about focusing on what is going well. You choose to focus on what is beautiful, what is good, what you are grateful for. And all the other things? They may be there too, but you don't pay much attention to them.

• This is why positive thinking is important (infographic)
• Tips to start thinking positive (infographic)
• Read more about the benefits of positive thinking and how to do it (website)
• Get motivated with these tips to think positively (video, 4’)

Are you experiencing ...

• Ruminating?
  Excessive worrying thoughts can hinder both sleeping and studying. Fortunately, there are techniques to reduce the effects of ruminating.
  Read more about rumination and how to stop it (website)
  This workbook helps you step by step to tackle ruminating thoughts (website)

• Fear of failure?
  Fear of failure can make studying difficult. Sometimes, it even leads to a blackout during exams.
  Is the fear of failure affecting your studies?
  Then, it's time to tackle it!
  Discover everything about fear of failure and what you can do about it (website)

• Blackouts?
  During an exam, despite having studied well, your mind suddenly goes blank, and you can't recall anything. This is known as a blackout.
  Get rid of blackouts with these tips

• Stress?
  Stress makes you tired and harms your concentration and memory.
  Find ways to deal with stress.
  Read everything about stress and how you can deal with it (website)

• Time to try some things

This website offers many tips on mental and physical health. Now:

• Write down the ideas and tips you want to try
• Choose one idea or tip to start with
• Pick a date and a time and try out the new idea

Check out our topic, ‘self-regulation’, for more tips to make your resolutions successful.

• Make an appointment

Would you like some personal advice on a healthy study life?
Would you like to personally discuss how to create healthy habits with a study coach?

→ Don’t hesitate to make a free appointment with one of the study coaches of your programme, online or on campus! The study coaches are happy to help you.