Surviving Nigerian Schools; Taking Care Of Your Mental Health; Earlier this year 2022, in Jos; the University of Jos to be precise, a 300-level student committed suicide leaving a note for his parents, his reasons? ASUU strike.
Around September 2021, a suicide occurred in Auchi Polytechnic, according to a source, the deceased was a quiet boy who took his studies seriously. A bright star is gone and the list goes on and on.
Over the past decades, there has been an increasing report of suicides amongst Nigerian students. This has also led to an increase in suicide helplines to assist students battling depression and suicidal thoughts to get early help. Student Village is doing its bit to educate Nigerian Students on how to look out and care for their mental health so it doesn’t deteriorate beyond control.
Surviving Nigerian Schools; Taking Care Of Your Mental Health
Stay Hydrated
There is an endless list of how helpful water can be for your immune system, sometimes when you get back from class and you feel really down, try not to reach for a bottle of soda at that moment, a glass/sachet of cold water will perform more wonders for your immune system and in turn boost your mood. Drink water!
Get active
Getting active in a sport or a community has a way of boosting your confidence as an individual. One of the significant marketing slogans of many gyms in Nigeria is “hitting the gym, boosts your confidence” and that is true! Get fit, get active, not only does it give you an amazing summer body but research shows that it boosts mental health as well. Join a gym or start jogging today. 4 Proven Exercises Students Need To Burn Belly Fat
Eat, Don’t wait till you are hungry
Students build the terrible habit of eating only when they are hungry. It’s bad, please stop it. You can’t deny how much of a mood boost eating healthy and well good meals can be. While I understand it’s difficult eating what you truly desire in school due to cash constraints, you can always start with eating early and staying consistent with your means. Try as much as possible to eat breakfast and don’t eat dinner at the midnight.
Get Some Rest
Getting rest is vital for better mental health, it increases concentration and gives you stronger memory and a healthier immune system. Rest also improves your mood and is known to give better metabolism. As a student in a Nigerian school, it’ll be bad for your mental health if you repeatedly skip afternoon siestas.
Stop worrying
Let’s borrow a piece of the good book. Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”.
Worrying doesn’t do you any good especially when the school system has been designed not to care about you. Stop worrying about tests, exams, angry lecturers, food, tomorrow, career etc. Because worrying doesn’t bring a solution, instead it affects your mental health immensely. Instead of worrying, why not try to make actionable plans that bring solutions?
Plan ahead
Poor planning or not planning at all most times leads to students being overwhelmed, being overwhelmed as an isolated isn’t an issue, but if it’s occurring repeatedly then that’s a big problem. One major bane attached to not planning ahead is anxieties. For me, I use my Sunday evenings to plan for the week, iron my clothes, check on my schedules and do necessary things, I’m almost never caught unaware.
Surround Yourself With Good People
The world is a battlefield already, but it can be easier when you have good people surrounding you. Associate yourself with people who display empathy, are good listeners and are very mature. While we expect and demand so much from the people around us, I must say, you too much be a good person.
Let me use this opportunity to say, just because you are advised to surround yourself with good people doesn’t mean you should join school cults. Say no to cultism.
Conclusion
Loving and valuing one’s self is the secret to maintaining healthy mental health. Bookmark this blog post and share it with colleagues and friends in school. Suicide is never an option and personally, I’m tired of losing amazing people in the student community due to depression. 3 Ways To Stop Second-Guessing Yourself
Love, light and hugs.
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