How I built Healthy Habits as a Student

Positive Patterns

Being a student means handling a lot of things at the same time including lectures, assignments, part-time jobs and a social and personal life; while trying to stay healthy and in a good condition, both physically and mentally. It’s a lot at once, and I realised that my energy, mood, and ability to stay productive are directly related to my daily habits and the things I do to elevate stress. Here are the things I did to build a healthy routine that worked for my student lifestyle.

Setting Goals

I first decided what type of habits I wanted to implement and what aspect of my life I wanted to improve. My goals surrounded responsible spending, reducing procrastination, improving my mindset, checking in on my mental health, being more active physically and being healthy, having more social interactions, getting good grades, reducing screen time and many more. So decide on what you want to achieve and go from there.

Starting small

I didn’t try to take everything on at once. I planned ahead for everything, so that I could take everything in small chunks and it felt easier to get things done. This included, preparing for assignments, tasks or personal goals. This way I didn’t need any excessive motivation or extra energy to complete it.

Practiced Habit Staking

From the book “Atomic Habits by James Clear”, I learnt that it is easier to make a new habit part of an existing one instead of starting from scratch. For example, for me it was “I will write my to-do list after brushing my teeth” or “After I finish my lunch, I’ll take a 15-minute walk”. It’s easier to remember this way and integrate into your routine.

Being patient and staying consistent

Building habits don’t happen overnight. It takes time and consistency and a lot of mistakes and slip ups will definitely happen. But as long as you get back on track after the slip and you’re not too hard on yourself, you’ll be able to build healthy habits that suits your goals and student lifestyle in no time.

You can reach out to our student support services to get advice on setting healthy goals and habits.

Contact the Support Services

Omotola Olagunju

Omotola is a third year International Business Management student. She loves travelling to and gaining new cultural experiences, reading, and drawing.