Graduate International Connection Program

Staying healthy in grad school- Written by Bri Craver

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Graduate school comes with new challenges and responsibilities, which can be overwhelming at times. As a student, I often find myself juggling research, classes, teaching, writing papers, grading, and career preparation. With all of these responsibilities, it may be hard to keep a work-life balance. However, keeping your work-life balance will prevent you from burning out halfway through graduate school. It may be difficult to maintain your healthy habits while adjusting to your new lifestyle. So, here are a few tips to help you stay healthy in grad school.

Physical health

Eat well

As an international student, you may find that a lot of your favorite foods are not easily found. Because the food in a new country is different, you may find that your digestion will change. To make an easier transition for your body, stick to what you know. Try to eat the same foods that you normally eat at home. Stick to fresh and basic ingredients and cook at home regularly.

  • Food prep: As graduate students, we are expected to work long hours, but this does not give us an excuse to eat poorly. Food prepping does not necessarily mean that you have to spend hours in the kitchen every Sunday. Put in a few minutes every day to prepare lunch and snacks for the next day. Also, keep snacks at your desk for emergencies.
  • Farmer’s Markets: Farmer’s Markets is an outdoor fair to purchase produce directly from the farmers. Orange County has several Farmers Market’s nearly every day of the week. There is a Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning from 8am-12pm at the Mariner’s Church parking lot (approximately 1.5 miles from the Anteater Recreation Center).
  • Be aware of sneaky ingredients: sugar is a common ingredient in many prepared foods. Try to eat home-cooked meals from fresh ingredients more often then you eat prepared foods.
  • Be mindful if you begin to eat when you are stressed out. Try to only eat when you feel hungry.
  • International grocery stores: Orange Country has a good variety of grocery stores that cater to specific cuisines. Chances are if you cannot find an ingredient at a nearby grocery store, one of the following stores will have it: Wholesome Choice, H Mart, Mitsuwa Marketplace, 99 Ranch Market, Super Irvine, Namaste Plaza, India Spices & Groceries.

  1. Exercise

Do not fall into the temptation to make the excuse that you do not have enough time to exercise! Make it a habit to do some physical activity for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. Make yourself sweat! The Anteater Recreation Center (ARC) is free for students, so take advantage of this amazing resource! All you need to do to get started at the ARC is sign a few forms at the office upstairs during business hours.

Visit http://www.campusrec.uci.edu for information on all the classes, activities and services that the ARC provides.

If you are moving on campus, there are Free Yoga classes at Verano Place and Palo Verde. Keep an eye out for these classes in your monthly newsletters.

Sleep

We are no longer undergraduate students. There is no reason that graduate students should be pulling “all-nighters”. By now, we will have figured out how to organize our time. Aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Your brain will thank you!

Mental health

Manage stress

People often think of stress as a bad thing. However, experiencing stress is a normal part of life and is even good for your mental wellbeing. In the absence of any stress, performance if often low because you have no mental stimulation and no motivation to do work. However, peak performance occurs under “eustress” conditions, when you feel normal psychological stress.

Learn to recognize when you are experiencing high stress. Notice if you begin to exhibit any of these signs:

  • Academic difficulty
  • Issues sleeping
  • Change in appetite or energy
  • Reduced interest in pleasurable activities

If you feel like you are experiencing distress that is detrimental to your physical or mental health, try some of these stress management techniques:

  • Meditation
  • Deep breathing
  • Yoga
  • Listen to music
  • Go for a walk
  • Do something creative, such as painting
  • Get a massage at the ARC
  • Do something that you enjoy

If you feel like these stress management techniques are not helping you, the Counseling Center at UC Irvine is free for all students to make an appointment to speak with a professional. The Counseling Center also hosts workshops and support groups to discuss stress management, among other graduate student struggles.

 Visit the Counseling Center’s website at http://www.counseling.uci.edu.

Maintaining an active social life is so important for our mental health and wellbeing. Check out some of these resources to meet new people.

  • Associated Graduate Students: Be sure to join the AGS Facebook group if you have not already! The AGS group hosts several fun events all throughout the year. https://www.ags.uci.edu
  • International Coffee Hour: Every Friday from 11am-12:30pm, hosted at the Counseling Center
  • Classes at the ARC are a great way to meet new people! The ARC offers a variety of classes that include, dancing, cooking, sports, etc.

Comment below if you have any tips of your own for staying healthy in grad school!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Great tips Bri! I recently checked out the Farmer’s Market and I loved it!

    SoCal is known for beaches, and I for one love going and exploring them. For me, de-stressing = going to the beach. There’s just something magical about laying down a mat, sitting down on it, and staring afar into the water, in complete peace. Then, getting into the water, when that icy-cold feeling reaches up your spine and you just relax and enjoy nature as it is.

    Another thing to enjoy in the beach is beach volleyball with friends! Not only is it a group activity which brings you closer to your friends, you can meet new people, and it’s a great form of exercise!

    What do you think? Are beaches your getaway sometimes?

    • Thank you for your comment, Shreya!

      I love the beach! Beach volleyball is excellent exercise and super fun.
      I like going to the beach during Spring or Fall, when it is less crowded. Luckily for us, the weather is still great in September and October and the ocean is relatively warm by the end of the summer.

  2. In terms of exercise, if you’re gym-averse, long walks around campus are a great way to get in some cardio vascular activity. I have spent a lot of time walking (or, on rare occasions, running) 2-3 miles in the evenings. I mostly stick to Ring Road– the major circular path that connects the main campus– but I’ve explored all over.

    Walking around campus provides a surprising number of added benefits. I know my way around campus extremely well. I also found that walking gave me the opportunity to listen to podcasts and audiobooks. This meant that when I needed a break from my work, I could take it, but if I felt I needed to spend every moment studying, I could pick an audiobook or a podcast episode that was relevant to my work and feel like I was working and exercising at the same time. When I was studying for exams, I actually recorded myself reading some of my exam notes aloud and listened to those recordings on my walk. The repetition of reading the notes aloud and then listening to them made them stick in my head significantly better. You can do the same thing if you are planning on presenting a paper at a conference to help you feel like you know your script or your topic thoroughly.

  3. Hi! Thank you for this valuable post.
    I will be in the engineering department this fall. I wanted to know if I can practice music any place on campus because I am a piano performer. Is there a place for me to practice for free or low prices?
    Thanks again!

    • Hi Hasti,

      I know that there are piano practice rooms on campus but I think they be open to music majors only. I’ll have to check on that and get back to you.

    • Hasti, there are practice rooms that contain pianos that are open to non-music majors. See details below. I’ve also linked the website.

      Music Practice Rooms

      Practice rooms available to UCI students who are not Music majors are located in the Mesa Office Building (MOB).

      Some of these practice rooms contain pianos. These instruments are donated and may not be tuned or maintained on a regular basis.

      The Mesa Office Building (MOB, building #59 on the campus map) is attached to the Mesa Parking Structure. It is at the opposite end of the structure from the Mesa Arts Building (building #58, where CTSA offices are located).

      Hours of Operation:

      Monday – Friday, 6:00am – 11:00pm

      Fall Quarter, Winter Quarter & Spring Quarter ONLY

      Closed: Weekends, Holidays, Winter & Spring Breaks, and Summer

    • Hi Hasti,

      There is a music room for non-music majors at Claire Trevor Arts School. It is accessible from 6am-11pm, Monday through Friday. These rooms are sound-proof and some of them even include pianos! Do check it out when you get here. Oh and yes, it is free. 🙂 You can get more details about it at : http://music.arts.uci.edu/practice-rooms

      My friend and I often visit this place to practice our vocals and we love this place!

  4. Wonderful tips, Bri! One other thing that helps me keep my happiness up and stay motivated is **MUSIC**!

    – If I’m missing home, I listen to songs from my childhood
    – If I need help focusing, I often listen to instrumental music (like this one is one of my faves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jWRrafhO7M)
    – If I’m feeling excited, sometimes I listen to the radio, or Spotify, for songs that make me want to dance!

    What kind of music do you listen to? How else do you keep your work life balance?

    • Excellent point, Atrouli! I love to listen to music when I come home and start cooking dinner. It helps me wind down and relax. I listen to everything from jazz to rock.

      One day every week, I don’t do anything related to work (apart from checking important emails). I use this day to spend time with family and friends, clean my apartment, and spend some time outdoors.

  5. I highly recommend classes/activities/sport clubs at the ARC. The ARC is one of the best recreational facility for students in Southern California. All the classes/activities offered there are much cheaper than anywhere else outside of campus.

    On managing stress, Phong Luong, our Graduate Division counselor, is a great person to seek for help. He’s one of the coolest person on campus to talk to and get your feet back on the ground to tackle grad school.

    • Thank you for your comments, Duc!

      I would love to try one of the dancing classes at the ARC sometime.