7 ways to support your mental health as the semester draws to a close

For many students, the weeks between Thanksgiving break and J-Term can be the longest of the semester. Students break out of their academic routine and default back to their lives at home. As students barrel towards the finish line, they are met with final exams, projects and essays. Here are seven ways to prioritize your mental health to end the semester strong.

1. Attend a fitness class

Above all else, there is no better way to maintain your mental and physical health than moving your body. Exercise is proven to release chemicals that help with overall mood and anxiety management. While the weather isn’t favorable for outdoor exercise, Miami offers a wide variety of group fitness classes, including Zumba, spin and pilates. The full class schedule can be found here.

2. Go visit with a dog

Coming off a break, you might be used to cuddling your dog as a method for stress relief. Fear not! You can still manage your stress and anxiety with pet snuggles in Oxford. Miami offers weekly dog therapy with an extended dog day during finals week.

3. Call the H.O.P.E. line

If you find yourself or a companion in a mental health crisis outside of regular business hours, Miami offers a H.O.P.E (Help Over the Phone Everywhere Crisis) line for 24/7 support. To utilize the H.O.P.E. line, call 855-249-5649.

4. Seek out support for substance misuse

Should you find yourself concerned about how your substance usage has played out throughout the semester, Miami offers a wide variety of resources, from counseling services to tools to identify if your substance use is cause for concern.

5. Attend a group therapy session

If you only need short-term support or individual therapy seems daunting, group therapy could be a good option for you. Miami offers more than 10 different varieties of group therapy with unique focuses. These span from grief groups to specific support for international students.

6. Spend time with people

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Especially at the end of the semester, it can be tempting to spend all your time studying in your room alone. But, during high-stress periods, it’s important to spend time with your loved ones.

Studies show that loneliness can increase overall stress and anxiety. Whether watching a movie with your roommates, having a game night or even studying in a public space, taking a break from being alone is crucial.

7. Sleep

If you aren’t prioritizing your sleep, managing your mental health will be close to impossible. But, sleep can be hard to come by during periods of high stress. Here is a list of 35 expert tips to get you started if you’re struggling to fall asleep. Additionally, I find “sleepy-time” tea to be wildly helpful in ensuring a restful sleep; the celestial seasonings sleepytime wellness tea is one of my personal favorites.

You can find additional resources at the Miami Student Counseling webpage.

reieram@miamioh.edu