May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It also happens to be the height of student stress with interims and exams. That’s why the Blueprint decided to interview Ms. Farrar, our yoga teacher and Wellness Coordinator here at Springbrook to get some advice on work life balance and how to make it until June.

While we’ve all had many recommendations on how to organize time, things can still feel very overwhelming.  “Think about this moment, this period, this day.” Ms. Farrar recommended. Something as simple as thinking about a week at a time can really help. 

Ms. Farrar urges students to “Look at your blocks of time…Schedule in some of that time to study.” Ms. Farrar encourages all students to look at your calendar and see the open spaces for studying. Planning your time is one of the best ways to mitigate stress. She recommends using a planner or time budget sheet. When your time is planned out, it relieves that sense of being overwhelmed. With managing time, you also do not want to neglect self care. 

Ms. Farrar adds, “Schedule in time for relaxing activities. Engage in self care”. She describes basic self care as “eating right, getting plenty of sleep, and exercising regularly.”  On a deeper level, self care can mean many different things for many different people. “Everyone has to figure out what their thing is that helps them unwind.” Sometimes it’s taking a walk or reading a book, finding what soothes you the most. 

Another tip recommended was to turn off devices. “Too much screen time is contributing to our stress,” Ms. Farrar says. Even if it means to put your phone on Do Not Disturb for 30 minutes. Or just turning off your phone and reading a book for a little bit. A break from the constant screen can definitely make a difference with mental health (and eyesight!).

While these tips seem so small, putting them all together and incorporating them into a daily practice can make a huge difference. Remember to look at things a week at a time, manage stress, and practice self care.