Recovery

Stress affects our brain and can lead to exhaustion and other mental illness. Common warning signs can be that you have poorer concentration or memory, a poorer mood, that you withdraw from social situations or that you change your behavior in other ways.

When you study, you use your brain a lot and therefore it is good to balance it with activities where the brain can rest, such as exercising, talking to friends, being in nature, pursuing a hobby or replenishing energy through what we eat. Restorative activities are different for different people and it is important that you find what gives you energy and joy.

Exercise

Feel free to write down what gives and takes energy from you and put more focus on what gives energy!

Sleep

Sleeping is not only nice but vital. Sleep is necessary for your body and brain to recover and process impressions. It also affects your ability to learn and your memory, and reduces the risk of disease. When we sleep, the body relaxes, the pulse and blood pressure drop and the body temperature goes down. The muscles relax and in parts of the brain activity decreases while memory is stored and new impressions are processed. The body's immune system is activated and important hormones are formed while the production of stress hormones decreases.

Tips for good recovery

• Breathing helps the body to unwind, take a few minutes each day and breathe deep, calm breaths.
• Find activities that give you energy and joy, prioritize these every week.
• Make a schedule for your week and plan time for recovery.
• Prioritize your sleep, adults need about 7-9 hours per night.

If you want to talk to someone about stress, recovery or anything else that you are wondering about, contact us at the Student Health Service. We're here for you.

The Student Health Service's film about recovery, (12 min)

Reading tips from Studenthalsa.se on avoiding unhealthy stress

Mindfulness