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When you are a non-traditional student, staying physically and mentally healthy takes on an even greater importance. You have added in one more obligation to your time and energy – even though continuing your education is a commitment that is for you. Too often adults put themselves last, but it’s important to prioritize yourself so you can be successful in all of your roles.
In addition to physical and mental health, financial health has an impact on adult students who are also working full time. That is where the Union Education Trust steps in to support OCSEA bargaining unit members so they have resources to pay for their continuing education. The UET benefits ease the stress of being able to afford classes, so participants can prioritize themselves along with their other responsibilities.
OCSEA member Kay Willis advised that adult students remember why they are committing to so many important activities.
“What motivates me the most is focusing on the end result and reminding myself that it’s not forever,” said Willis, a customer service assistant 2 in the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ Department of Public Safety. “It’s like running a marathon – you have to train for it. Once the marathon is over, you feel accomplished.”
The analogy is a good one: As you work your brain and learn skills while continuing your education, it’s important to be dedicated to what will keep you healthy and make you a better employee, family member, friend, and student.
Get your zzzzzs
One of the most important pieces to wellness is what we do when we aren’t in class, at work, or at home: sleep.
“Sleep is non-negotiable,” said OCSEA member Kayla Gardner, an activity therapy specialist 2 at the Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare. “You’re managing your energy, not just your time.”
Lack of sleep – sleep deprivation – causes both physical and mental problems, including lack of focus, poor-decision making, and irritability, according to the Maryville University’s Sept. 13, 2023 blog article “Non-Traditional Students: Health and Wellness Resources.” The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least seven hours of sleep for adults. The CDC website list suggestions on how to achieve that, including making a schedule for sleep, not eating before bed, and keeping your room cool, quiet, and relaxing.
“Good sleep is good mental health,” Gardner said. “Get as much as you can. Try to manage that as best as you can.”
When adult learners aren’t sleeping, they are working, studying, and maintaining a household. That last endeavor may also include caring for children, a partner, or even aging parents or family. Juggling these activities necessarily draws on your time and energy. Finding balance is the only way to successfully manage them.
Fuel your body
Another human need that can be used to achieve wellness is eating. Planning and prevention go a long way with healthy eating. You can prevent dehydration and hunger if you have a water bottle and some healthy snacks available at all times. Both items will help you avoid in-the-moment bad choices like fast food.
Planning ahead for your meals, whether daily or weekly, is also a good way to have control over your food intake and expenses. You can make a grocery list that includes everything you’ll need for the week. And occasionally you can “indulge” and treat yourself! After all, you are doing this to be well, not to punish yourself.
Another fuel for your body is exercise. Gardner suggested short walks to get your blood flowing and your body moving. You might be able to incorporate a short walk in between two activities. Exercising releases endorphins, which help your body manage stress and anxiety, according to the blog article “Non-Traditional Students: Health and Wellness Resources.” For both eating and exercising, there are many trackers and other apps that help you plan and remember your intentions.
“A short walk helps so you aren’t going right from one thing to another,” Gardner said, adding that just sitting still can also be helpful. “Sometimes I spend 15 minutes in my car to reset.”
Take a deep breath
Breathing is another necessary function of life, but it can be used for more than sustaining life. It can be used to focus or relax, too. So, if you take a few moments in your car as you move from work to home, or home to class, you can focus on your breathing.
There are many simple but effective ways to use breathing techniques to manage stress and improve focus, such as 4-7-8 breathing (Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and breathe out through your mouth for 8 seconds) and box/square breathing (Inhale for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold the lungs empty for a count of 4). Deep, slow breathing lowers blood pressure and increases oxygen flow to the brain. You can read more about breathing techniques in the article “10 Breathing Exercises to Try When You’re Feeling Stressed,” by Emily Cronkleton found here: https://www.healthline.com/health/breathing-exercise
While sleeping, eating, exercising, and breathing may seem like default activities, putting a structure around each one so you are being deliberate and purposeful will help you with being well as you work through this hectic phase of life.