By Jina Lee

Yonsei GSIS Newsletter Editor

As the semester concludes, graduate students often reflect on the significant pressure they faced to finish projects, study for exams, and meet deadlines. During these times, productivity might have seemed more important than mental health and well-being. This high-stress period can negatively impact mental health and result in burnout if not managed effectively. Here are some tips and resources for coping with stress and preserving good mental health as you move forward.

Prioritize Self-Care

It's easy to neglect self-care when you're buried in work, but taking care of yourself is crucial for maintaining good mental health. To take care of yourself, aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night, eat nutritious foods to keep your energy levels up, take periodic breaks to stretch or engage in brief relaxation exercises, and make time for hobbies you enjoy, such as reading or painting, to give your mind a break from daily stressors.

Regular exercise

Yonsei University offers various on-campus sports facilities to help students engage in physical activity, an excellent stress reliever that can improve mood. The Yonsei Campus Fitness Center in the Sports Science Complex provides high-quality weightlifting machines, stationary bikes, and treadmills for a monthly fee of KRW 40,000 for only morning use and KRW 50,000 for all-day use. The Main Athletic Field, consisting of soccer, baseball, and basketball areas, is open to the public but requires a reservation one month in advance. The swimming pool in the Physical Education Building offers open swimming hours for a daily fee of KRW 3,600. Checking availability due to courses and practice schedules is important. Lastly, the tennis court features grass and clay courts, which are available outside class hours and during tennis club practice times. To make a reservation for the tennis court, go to the Yonsei portal, click on 'Space Reservation System,' and select 'Tennis Court Reservation.' The hourly fee is KRW 11,000, and the minimum reservation time is two hours.

Yonsei Campus Fitness Center(Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/yonseifitness/

Yonsei Campus Fitness Center(Kakao channel): http://pf.kakao.com/_VRNNxj

Gymnasium & Physical Education Building: +82-2-2123-8413

Main Athletic Field: +82-2-2123-3425.

Swimming Pool: +82-2-2123-3432

Tennis Court: +82-2-2123-3426

Seek Support

Feel free to reach out for help when you need it. You can talk to your advisor or professors for assistance with coursework or research, connect with fellow graduate students who understand what you're going through, or utilize the Yonsei Counseling Center, which offers counseling services in English and Chinese, including individual and group counseling, psychological tests, psychodrama, mental health seminars, and suicide prevention education. Off-campus resources like the Seoul Foreigner Portal provide 1:1 psychological counseling, five sessions over seven weeks (50 minutes per session). They have professional psychological counselors fluent in Korean, English, and Chinese. If you need medication or help from a healthcare professional, consider visiting a psychiatrist. With National Health Insurance, the monthly cost for visits and medication every two weeks ranges between KRW 30,000 and KRW 50,000.

Yonsei Counseling Center: https://encounsel.yonsei.ac.kr/

Seoul Foreign Resident Center: https://global.seoul.go.kr/web/prmg/prco/prcoListPage.do#running_tab2

Maintain perspective

Remember to maintain perspective by reminding yourself that the stress is temporary. Keep your long-term goals and reasons for pursuing your degree in mind, celebrate your accomplishments along the way, no matter how small, and focus on the present moment rather than worrying about the future.

As a graduate student, you can successfully navigate the stressful end-of-semester period by prioritizing self-care, seeking support, and maintaining perspective. Remember, your mental health is just as important as your academic success. Take care of yourself, and you'll be better equipped to handle whatever challenges come your way.