Encouraging Self-Care and Healthy Behaviors
For students to get the most out of the learning experience, you expect your students to do the readings, come to class prepared, and take part in discussions. What if we also encouraged our students to prioritize their well-being to maximize their learning potential? Intuitively we know we perform better when we eat well, get rest, or take a moment to breathe. You can play a key role in reinforcing positive behaviors and encouraging students to think about how they prioritize their well-being. Here are a few specific areas to consider promoting healthy behaviors.
Sleep. Sleep has a direct impact on student performance and lower amounts of sleep are associated with poorer academic outcomes in students (Taras and Potts-Datema, 2005). You can acknowledge that perfect sleep may not always happen, but there are steps students can take to improve their sleep habits. Remind students of the benefit of sleep and that they can take an active role in working to improve it. At times students may forgo sleep to cram for a test or write a paper until the deadline. However, this behavior can have an immediate negative impact on cognitive function including attention span and concentration (Hershner & Chervin, 2014).
Physical activity. Physical activity is a key component in leading a healthy lifestyle and can help manage stress, heighten focus, increase energy, and improve memory. When you exercise, the body releases endorphins, which can trigger positive feelings, help reduce anxiety, build memory, and help a person feel sharper (Cotman et al., 2007). Physical activity can have benefits on academic performance. This does not mean that students need to spend countless hours at the gym every day. Students can incorporate movement into their day by walking instead of taking the bus or using the stairs instead of the elevator, if accessible. Additionally, in motivating students to stay active, there should be less focus on weight and more on how movement improves how a person feels.
Substance Use and Harm Reduction. We want to encourage healthy behaviors, while also discouraging unhealthy ones such as high-risk drinking or substance use. Substance use can adversely affect students’ attendance, participation in class discussions, performance on assignments and exams, and overall GPA. Faculty are well-positioned to contribute to changing students’ expectations around substance use and help shift the culture. One approach is to refrain from normalizing unhealthy drinking behaviors. We know that about 30% of our undergraduate population does not drink. And of those that do choose to drink, about half are not drinking excessively (females: 4+ drinks/males: 5+ drinks). We do not want to reinforce a negative message because we assume that all students are going to the bars. Instead, we can highlight positive examples of how to spend time, such as getting involved in a student organization or going to the CRWC. You can also highlight the benefits of drinking less or not drinking, such as having more time, more focus on school, saving money, better relationships, and overall health. Check out more information in the university’s Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan.