Lifestyle Factors - Graduate Writing Center
Lifestyle Factors
Many factors in your life play a role in the learning process. Your general health and fitness, ability to relax, and sleep patterns all determine the quality of your attention and your capacity for retaining information. What's more, the quality of your relationships can either aid or distract from learning.
The following resources will help you evaluate areas of your life that affect your academic performance. They also provide steps you can take to maximize your lifestyle and support your educational goals.
Caring for your body can enhance your psychological well-being and help you handle the rigors of academia. Exercise makes your body release endorphins, which help lower stress, and ease the impact of cortisol, which can wreak havoc on the immune system. Good nutrition can help ward off depression and anxiety, and a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants has been shown to help improve concentration.
- NPS Fitness Center Class Schedule (website) NSA Monterey Community Support Programs
- Fitness, Sports and Deployed Force Support Program, including NOFFS (website) Commander, Navy Installations Command
- You Serve. We Protect: Health Promotion and Wellness (website) Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center
- Mental Health Playbook, Navy Culture and Force Resilience Office
Sleep deprivation has been linked to a range of physical and mental health issues, including a weakened immune system and slow reaction time. The National Institutes of Health recommends seven to eight hours each night for adults and highlights the importance of sleep for learning and retaining information.
- Crew Endurance (website) Naval Postgraduate School
- Sleep and its Effect on our Health and Safety (website with videos and infographics) Naval Postgraduate School
- Additional Sleep Resources (website with print and audio resources) MIT Medical
- Sleep and Sleep Disorders (website) Centers for Disease Control
- Sleep Topics (website) National Sleep Foundation
- What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? (website) National Institutes of Health
Your physical health and mental well-being have a symbiotic relationship. Just as you need to exercise and eat well to stay mentally balanced, a focus on relaxation and wellness can improve your physical well-being by reducing stress, decreasing inflammation, and lowering the incidence of illness. Clinical research suggests that breathing exercises, such as meditation, can lower your heart rate and blood pressure and fend off stress hormones.
- Warfighter Wellness (website with embedded audio files) Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center
To succeed in demanding pursuits, we must rejuvenate. Participating in activities that are purely for enjoyment or recreation—crafts, sports, art, games, puzzles, walking or biking in nature, or simply counting stars—allows you to relax, de-stress, and rebuild your reserves. Play restores your creativity, enhancing your ability to think in new ways. With sports played for fun, the physical exertion provides even more mental release.
- NSA Monterey Community Support Programs, including NPS Peacock Press (website) NSA Monterey
- City of Monterey Recreation Activities Guide (website) City of Monterey Recreation Department
- The National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military (website) Americans for the Arts
Having a support system—which might include family members, friends, professional colleagues, mentors, or peers in community organizations—also helps foster a sense of well-being. Whether you have just returned from combat or recently left a professional position, making the transition to academic life can be difficult. Engaging with others and participating in group activities can ease this transition and make your time at NPS even more rewarding.
- NSA Monterey Community Family Support Programs (website) NSA Monterey
- Adjusting to Change—Military Families (videos) Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health
- Relationship resilience (video) Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health
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Modern Military Association of America (website) The nation's largest organization of LGBTQ service members, military spouses, veterans, their families and allies.
Having a reliable support network to provide guidance, mentorship, and encouragement can be one of the greatest assets for military members and government employees as well as their families. Organizations and offices here on campus and throughout DOD can help you with a range of issues including housing accommodations, legal services, counseling, youth or teen programs, and accommodations for disabilities.
- The Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) (website) NSA Monterey
- Services for the NPS Community (website) Naval Postgraduate School
- Special Needs and Reasonable Accommodation at NPS (website detailing NPS procedures) Naval Postgraduate School
- DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (website, includes resources for victim assistance) Department of Defense
- Military One Source (website, confidential counseling call center) Department of Defense
- USNA Out (website) LGBTQ US Naval Academy Alumni and supporters