Lifestyle habits

Lifestyle habits are the actions a person takes on a daily basis to maintain good physical and psychological health. If you’re wondering what’s causing your lack of energy or your depressed mood, it’s possible that the cause is partly linked to your lifestyle habits (e.g., the quality of your diet, a lack of sleep or a sedentary lifestyle that goes on a little too long). This is generally what happens when we forget to prioritize ourselves and take time for self-care.

HOW CAN YOU ADOPT HEALTHY HABITS DAILY? 

Not everything has to be perfect but questioning your lifestyle habits and making a few changes can certainly benefit your mental health.  

Boost your energy

Nutrition is just as important for keeping your brain healthy as it is for improving your sporting performance. Eating a sufficient and varied diet enables the brain to think better and even helps regulate emotions. What’s more, even if they don’t all have the same nutritional value, there’s no such thing as bad food. The important thing is to find the right balance and variety in your diet. A great way to energize yourself is to remember to bring snacks and a water bottle to keep you well hydrated during your classes.

Get moving

We know that physical activity not only prevents many physical health problems and boosts energy levels, but also improves our sense of well-being. And physical activity includes the simple act of moving. Yes, moving stimulates our neurotransmitters and increases the production of various hormones linked to well-being.

In fact, moving allows us to expend the energy mobilized in response to a stressful event, such as an exam! This energy needs to be released to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) and tell the brain it can relax. Pssst! If you’re short on time and don’t know what to do to get moving, put on your favorite song and dance.

Get more sleep

The stress of studying is very demanding on your body and brain. There’s no better way to than sleep to restore your energy reserves and process new information efficiently than sleep. Although it varies from person to person, a good night’s sleep is generally between 5 and 10 hours (the average is 7 to 8 hours). It’s a good idea to establish what this number is for you and try to respect it as much as possible. If you have doubts about the quantity and quality of your sleep, take a look at the stimulants (tea, coffee, alcohol, chocolate, etc.) you ingest during the day. We may have found a culprit!

Relaxation

Humans possess an incredible weapon for relaxation: breathing. Although breathing is most often an automatic function, it can also be consciously influenced. There are different types of breathing, including abdominal breathing. This type of breathing consists of slowly inhaling through the nose, inflating the belly, and gently exhaling. This deep, conscious breathing sends a signal to the heart and brain to calm down. Then all these elements coordinate: the heartbeat slows down and the brain goes into relaxation mode to unwind. It’s a virtuous circle! For more relaxation methods, click here.

Manage screen time

SLEEP: YOUR ALLY FOR GOOD MENTAL HEALTH! 

Sleep is essential to good physical and mental health. As you sleep, your neurons consolidate, sort and store memories, learning and experiences from the day. Sleep is therefore a fundamental ally in the learning process, as well as in the management of emotions and stress. When you’re sleep-deprived, you feel more irritable and it can be difficult to concentrate, solve problems or make decisions. Also, the more energy you fill up on during the night, the more energy you’ll have to take time for yourself and engage in enriching activities linked to pleasure and rejuvenation.

How do you cope with a bad night’s sleep?

There’s nothing worse for your mood than the sound of a clock after just a few hours’ sleep. On those days when sleep deprivation takes its toll, you feel more irritable and stressed. Here are a few tips to help you get through the day:

1. If possible, reorganize the order of your day’s tasks, taking into account how you feel, or replace tasks that require concentration and energy with those that are more mechanical.
2. If your schedule requires you to stay awake, increase your level of stimulation: take a walk, turn up the lights, work in a standing position, do some jumping jacks!
3. Give yourself frequent short breaks and/or take a 10-20 minute nap if you can.
4. Be kind to yourself! It’s normal to have bad days and not always be 100% efficient.

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Ordre des psychologues du Québec (2022). Le sommeil, une porte d’entrée sur la santé physique, cognitive et psychologique

Gouvernement du Canada. (2020). Bien nourrir son cerveau pour mieux se sentir

Institut national de santé publique du Québec. (2015) Bouger pour être en bonne santé … mentale!

PAUSE. Pour un usage des écrans qui nous fait du bien

Sleeponitcanada. (2019) Dormez là-dessus!

Université Laval. L’insomnie

Université de Sherbrooke. (2020) Soigner son sommeil

Illustrations : Mario Fontaine

Contribution to the article (in alphabetical order):

• Lysa-Marie Hontoy, psychologist

• France Landry, psychologist

• Isabelle Queval, psychologist