NURTURING MENTAL HEALTH IN GRADUATE SCHOOL

At the 7th Annual Conference of Pan-African Professional Alliance (PANAPA) Penn State University, that held on Saturday 13th April 2024, I was privileged to be on a panel session to discuss about “Nurturing Mental Health in Graduate School”. Having gone through graduate school, I understand that being in academia can involve long days or nights in the laboratory, for data collection and manuscript writing. Extra hours are also invested at weekends trying to catch up with unfinished tasks. There is fierce competition to obtain the latest triumph, with continuous pressure to keep collaborating, and innovating. There is a constant thought of doing more and more because you want to get ahead of your competition. All of these endeavors, could tell on your MENTAL HEALTH. An important point to note is to take up tasks that will meaningfully benefit you at a time. This entails prioritizing what matters to your future career and disregarding tasks that don’t matter. Additionally, when you become stressful as a result of high workload, take 30 minutes out from your day to walk outside, beholding nature, to enjoy the benefit of lower heart rate, improved cognition, better mood and improved nervous system recovery. Walking can supply a source of refreshment and a better routine for the days ahead.