Self-Care and Staying Grounded

Published on February 1, 2025

Grace Gerdts

2nd-year PhD student, Epidemiology

If I am being honest, I have written multiple versions of this article. In my first few versions, I resorted to my typical nature of light-hearted joking to help mitigate the difficulty of talking about mental health. But as this semester moves on, I have been finding it harder and harder to maintain a light heart. And I think light-hearted discussion is not what we need currently.

Personally, I need the raw recognition that graduate school is difficult to complete under normal circumstances, let alone under the unstable conditions we currently find ourselves in. How exhausting it quickly becomes to be a young adult (or any age, really!) living through unprecedented times while also juggling graduate school, work, family responsibilities, friendships, and taking care of ourselves. In keeping with the theme of honesty, I will openly say that taking care of myself has become increasingly difficult lately (as it seems to be for most people I talk with).

Below are a few of the habits I am working on to help keep my mental health in check. I share these with you all to remind you of the large impact small changes can make, to provide a sense of connection to anyone needing it currently, and to provide guidance on how you can begin to take care of your mental health and stay grounded if you are unsure of where to begin.

Seek Help When You Need It: I placed this first to help emphasize the importance of seeking help. Routinely going to therapy and taking medications has helped me immensely in the periods of my life when I needed help the most. Commonly, the biggest regret I have is not seeking help earlier.
Develop Hobbies Outside of Doom Scrolling: Reading books, doing puzzles, watching some of my favorite TV shows, and playing video games are ways I have been relaxing recently. In addition to developing these hobbies, I have deleted all social media off my phone after finding myself doom scrolling far too often. Finding hobbies that help fulfill you and uplift your mental health can help sustain you throughout difficult parts of the day.
Spend Time Moving Your Body and Getting Fresh Air: I have been trying to take a walk at least once a day (even if it’s just to my car at Hancher). Even though I’m not eager to go outside in the cold most days, I find my mental health to be much lighter after moving a little and getting some fresh air.
Maintain A Bedtime: Going to bed at a consistent time has helped me to get enough sleep consistently and avoid procrastination. Furthermore, maintaining a strict bedtime has helped me to enforce my boundaries around time off from work and school. I am guilty of the “I’ll rest when I am done” mindset, but in graduate school the work is never done. Maintaining strict timing around working hours and a bedtime can help avoid burnout. Rest is important for being able to show up and be productive the next day.
Take Time For Yourself Everyday: This one feels self-explanatory, but it can be so easy to spend the whole day consumed by responsibilities and not realize you haven’t done any self-care all day until you are falling asleep. Carving out time for yourself is critical. As my therapist reminded me, 32-hour work weeks have been shown to be just as productive as 40-hour work weeks and can help to avoid burnout. The same applies to graduate school – you cannot perform your best work if you are continually pouring from an empty cup.

I realize a lot of these are broad concepts but tailoring your mental health routine should be personalized to you. Additionally, although it’s not up above in a tip, surrounding yourself with others who support you and prioritize their own mental health can help build a positive environment. Most importantly, give yourself the grace to be human and rest when you need it.

University of Iowa Counseling Services Appointment Scheduling: https://counseling.uiowa.edu/appointments-and-consultations

University of Iowa Counseling Services 24/7 Crisis Support: https://wellbeing.uiowa.edu/247-crisis-support

Newsletter Submissions

Do you have an accomplishment, note of advice, or another piece of work you would like to share in an upcoming newsletter?

submit here