5 Top Tips for studying at home and looking after yourself

It is so important, when studying or working from home to make sure you prioritise your health and wellbeing, as long periods of solitary work and screen time can become overwhelming.

Here are some tips to help you look after yourself while studying at home:

#1 Take regular breaks

Make sure you take regular short breaks and get outside as much as possible. It is important to get fresh air and avoid being stuck indoors all day.

#2 Keep active

Keeping active is very important so try to implement daily exercise into your routine where possible, even if it’s just getting up to make a cup of tea, doing some press ups or going for a walk. You will be spending a lot of time inside so walking or running outside will allow you to have a break from being indoors and you will feel a whole lot better for it!

#3 Keep in touch

If you are feeling low, it is important to communicate and let someone know if you are struggling. It is easy for stress, anxiety and depression to manifest when working solitarily for long periods so you must keep in touch regularly. If you have people at home, speak to them and take breaks from your work to talk about other things to lighten the load.
Watch our wellbeing video on low mood, to help you deal with your stress and anxiety in a healthy way.

#4 Switch off

It is also important to take time to switch off as it can be easy to become overwhelmed by work. Take a couple of hours to relax every day, for example you could start watching YouTube videos or listen to some podcasts. Here are a few to get you started:

YouTube videos:

• Get Your Head Right (David Goggins interview) - link
• How to Make Faster Decisions - link
• The Infinite Game with Simon Sinek - link

Podcast Episodes:

• Do What You Can - link
• Practice Building Your Positive Self Talk - link
• The Importance of Accountability, Friendships, & Great Health with Laurie Christine King- link
• Forging Mental Toughness with Dr. Rob Bell - link
• Train Your Brain to Win Today with Brian Levenson - link

#5 Sort out your working environment

It is very important to make sure that your working environment is safe. Make sure when you are doing work at home that you have a proper workstation or desk to sit at. Working for long periods of time without a proper workstation can really impact your health. For example, sitting with a poor posture for long periods of time could cause serious back pain. So, when you are working make sure you are sat upright, and your lower back is supported. Find out more about how to fix your posture when working from home here.

It is also important to take regular breaks from looking at your screen. Looking at your laptop or computer for hours on end can cause eye strain and make you very tired. Break up long periods of screen work by getting up and moving around, going for a walk or making a cup of tea.
Your health and wellbeing is very important and should be your main priority. If you have any concerns about your health and wellbeing while studying from home, visit our Student Wellbeing pages for contacts and information.