‘As long as we’re finding our routines helpful and not harmful, and feel able to flex and change them as our life changes, they can be a great thing to build on and develop over time.’

For me wellbeing and good mental health depend massively on being productive. There are so many ways to be productive and everyone can see productivity as something different. I see productivity as setting myself a few daily tasks which makes sure I’m active throughout the day, as being active is one of the six ways to wellbeing.

I tend to feel quite anxious when I feel like I haven’t got anything to do, so by setting tasks for myself each day I can be active doing things I want to do and that interest me, which is how I take care of myself.

As a student it’s easy to constantly compare yourself to other people what they’re doing. This is why it’s important to recognise how flexible productivity is, and that we can ALL actively work towards better well-being by setting our own daily tasks depending on our goals and interests.

I find it useful to list five tasks that I think are important to do every day. Think of this like a checklist of what makes you feel good and how you like to be active.

My list looks something like this:

1. Make my bed and tidy my room. I find the phrase ‘tidy room tidy mind’ quite cliché, but there really is some truth behind it.
2. Move my body. This can be in any way depending on what you feel like that day. Some days I’ll do a home workout and other days I do something a lot easier and more holistic like 10 minutes of yoga from YouTube. Being active boosts endorphins, which are our feel-good chemicals, so implementing a way to be active into your routine can massively improve your mental health and well-being. It can be really helpful to relax and de-stress by doing yoga which encourages you to focus completely on yourself for a short time, here’s a link to a stress and anxiety relief yoga session if you feel like giving it a go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTANio_2E0Q
3. Get ready for the day. Even if it’s just a shower and throwing a pair of trackies on, it’s a simple act of self-care.
4. Focus on at least one really good meal each day. This can be cooking something new or your favourite easy lunch. Fuelling yourself is so important for being active and working well!
5. Do something for your mind. Something different from uni work like watching a video or reading into something you’re interested in, or just five minutes of your favourite hobby. Focussing on something different to uni work creates a boundary from it and can help put your mind at ease from any work stress.  

This list is just an example of what I like to focus on to keep my mind and body active to help with anxiety and stress, you can change it to suit you. By writing what you want to do each day down and ticking off each task you get a sense of achievement. There is absolutely no pressure on how many things you get done, when you get things done, or what you do even do!

By Shona McGeough 

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