The winter season can create a mix of pressures for students in higher education. The shorter days mean we see less daylight, and this can lower our energy levels, disrupt sleep and make it a bit harder to concentrate. We know that reduced morning light also affects our mood and alertness, especially in young adults.
December can feel like an intense point in the university year with coursework deadlines before the winter break, and many students starting to prepare for exams in January. Recent student surveys suggest that coursework and assignment demands have been steadily increasing and that “overall demands on students appear to have increased.” For many students, this makes December one of the most challenging and tiring points in the academic year.
We also see these pressures mirrored in university support services. At Oxford, the counselling service reports that its winter terms have the highest number of student registrations. Nottingham reflects a similar pattern, with their waiting list peaking in January, following the busy pre-Christmas deadline period.
When we consider these factors together, seasonal changes, increased academic workload and rising support needs, December (and winter more generally) creates a natural pressure point in the run-up to the holidays.
These pressures make it even more important to understand what helps our minds to recover and recharge, and rest is one of the simplest and most effective tools that we have for caring for our minds and staying resilient as the year gets busy.
Rest matters for learning
When we take a moment to pause after we learn something now, our brains begin to sort through the information, making sense of ideas and strengthening memories. Even short periods of wakeful rest – simply sitting quietly – can improve our recall and deepen our understanding. Without these pauses, our concentration can wane and it becomes harder to take in what we’re studying.
When stress builds, thinking feels harder
If we push ourselves for long periods of time without taking a break, stress can build and our minds start to tire. This is in part because stress narrows our focus, making it harder for us to think flexibly and, it can also make it more difficult for us to remember and process new information. Over time this might reduce our motivation, making learning harder than it would usually feel. If we make time for small breathers, they can help to steady us during these busy times and give our minds space and clarity.
How rest supports our energy in winter
Short winter days don’t just change how we feel, they change how our internal body clock works. Morning light helps to set our circadian rhythm but when there’s less of it, that rhythm can shift, making us feel sleepier in the mornings and a bit out of sync with the day. Daylight also helps to keep our serotonin levels balanced, which supports our mood and energy levels. What this means is that winter can impact our ability to focus and be motivated, just as deadlines are upon us. So, making time in busy academic schedules to rest can really help, giving our mind a chance to recover before we return to the books and helping us to stay resilient during this part of the year.
Why resilience can help with academic pressure
Resilience isn’t about pushing through regardless or pretending we’re fine when things feel tough. The Mindapples approach to resilience is about how we take care of our minds when the pressure starts to grow and how we respond to the challenges we face in a way that supports our wellbeing.
Recent research in higher education describes resilience as a dynamic process that helps students adapt to change or stress, and this process is shaped by the environments they are in and the support available to them. Studies show that students can strengthen their resilience through strategies like managing their thoughts and feelings, seeking support from others, self-care and developing the capacity to adjust to stress and change.
The University Mental Health Charter highlights that resilience grows best in supportive cultures, where students feel connected and able to manage the pressures of university life. If we view it this way, resilience isn’t then something we either have or don’t have, it’s something that develops through small habits and environments that help us to cope when academic pressure grows.
Our approach to Resilience
This is why we run our Be Resilient course with university staff and students, particularly in the winter months when academic pressure grows and our energy levels dip. Things don’t always go to plan when we’re at university (studying or working) and part of resilience is learning how to cope with adversity when we’re faced with unexpected challenges.
Our course helps people to understand how their minds work under pressure, and what supports their wellbeing, building the protective factors that help us to manage difficulties without switching off from how we feel or pushing things aside.
We look at healthy ways of coping in the moment, how to build our capacity to handle challenges proactively, and how flexible thinking can help us learn and grow from setbacks. While these skills won’t remove the academic pressures university communities face, they can strengthen our ability to handle pressure and support our wellbeing during the most demanding times.
How universities can help
Universities play an important role in shaping the conditions that support student wellbeing all year round, but especially during the winter months when academic demands are increasing. The University Mental Health Charter says that a genuinely effective whole-university approach must bring together three elements: well-resourced and accessible mental health services; an environment and culture that reduces poor mental health and supports good mental health; and opportunities for staff and students to develop the insight, understanding and skills to manage and maintain their own wellbeing. Mindapples sits naturally within this third strand.
By encouraging a more balanced approach to study and rest, strengthening peer support and connection, and by offering skills-based sessions like Be Resilient, universities can help students and staff to feel more supported during the busiest points of the academic year.
If you’d like to explore these ideas further, or bring Be Resilient to your university community please get in touch universities@mindapples.org
You can also download our Be Resilient Tipsheet and share it with students and staff, for practical ways to care for your mind during the busy winter season.