Six Things You Need to Maintain Your Mental Health as a Graduate Student Returning to School
- Dr. LaShaun Daniels-Edney, LCSW
- 11 minutes ago
- 7 min read
It's that time of year again, and it's time to prepare yourself to get back into the groove of things, this time with your graduate student mental health just as protected as your GPA.
Whether you're pursuing a master's degree, doctorate, or another advanced degree, you're likely balancing multiple roles that all seem to be calling your name at the same time. You may be working full-time (calling), parenting (calling), caring for loved ones (calling), serving in ministry (calling), maintaining a social life (calling), or if we're being honest, all the above (calling).
Graduate school is so much more than earning another degree. It's an opportunity to sharpen your professional lens, deepen your expertise, and connect the pieces that will forever shape how you view your profession and serve others. It's also a season that teaches you how to carry the weight of life's many responsibilities while learning how to thrive, not just survive.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has successfully completed multiple degrees, including my Ph.D., I can honestly tell you that the greatest challenge wasn't always the coursework.
If it's okay for me to be completely transparent... I cried through the entire program. And no, that is not an exaggeration! Dr. Shaunee has receipts! I cried through research papers, discussion boards, statistics (yes, statistics did me dirty with an A- and left me with a 3.97 GPA), exams, and what felt like every major assignment. But here's the thing: graduate school assignments did not stop my children from needing rides to football practice. They did not pause because sibling disagreements needed to be settled. They did not care that I still had deadlines at work, clients who depended on me, a household that required my attention, or days when I simply needed a moment to breathe.
Life did not stop just because I was in graduate school.
Those tears were not only about the assignments. They were about carrying the weight of being everything to everyone while simultaneously trying to become everything I knew I was called to be.
Yet, by grace, I still completed my Ph.D. in just three years.
You're probably wondering, "Dr. Shaunee... minus the crying, what was your secret?"
The truth is...
There wasn't one.
There was no magic formula, no perfect planner, and no hidden shortcut. What I did have was an understanding that protecting my mental health had to become just as important as protecting my grades.
That mindset changed everything.
Many graduate students are high achievers. We're used to being the ones who have it all together. We show up. We produce. We perform. But the pressure to excel academically, meet deadlines, maintain relationships, fulfill our responsibilities, and somehow still make time for ourselves can quickly become overwhelming if we are not intentional.
So trust me when I say this:
Your degree is important, but your mental health is non-negotiable.
Before the assignments begin piling up and the semester starts moving at lightning speed, here are six Dr. Shaunee-approved practices to help protect your mental health and position you to thrive, not only academically, but personally, throughout the semester.
1. Never Leave Your Faith or Grounding Practice Out of Your Business
As a Christian, I leaned on my faith for guidance, strength, wisdom, direction, and comfort throughout my academic journey. Every paper I wrote, every presentation I gave, and every late-night study session, I invited God into it.
Whatever your faith tradition may be, or whatever practice centers you, do not abandon it during this season. Lean into it. Hold on to it. Let it remind you that you were made for such a time as this.
Every time I thought about giving up, I would simply say:
"But God."
Those two words reminded me that my circumstances did not have the final say. I also held tightly to Jeremiah 29:11-13, reminding myself that there was a plan for me long before I ever enrolled in graduate school.
Your education can be part of your calling, not separate from it.
2. Stop Trying to Be Perfect: Aim for Progress
Do not allow your overachieving brain, or the demands of graduate school, to convince you that every paper must be flawless, every discussion board post needs to be New York Times worthy, or every assignment deserves endless rounds of revision.
Perfectionism is one of the quickest roads to burnout.
Remember your WHY.
Why did you start this journey?
You enrolled to learn, grow, evolve, and develop professionally. This is not the season to prove your worth to anyone. Instead, let it be the season where you learn that balance is just as valuable as achievement.
One of my favorite sayings during graduate school was:
"Let the paper go."
Read it. Edit it. Have someone proofread it if needed.
Then... Let. It. Go.
Do not allow perfectionism to hold you hostage.
Some weeks your best may look like submitting an exceptional paper. Other weeks your best may simply mean submitting the assignment before the deadline.
Both count.
Give yourself permission to be a student.
Learning requires mistakes. Growth requires discomfort. Excellence is sustainable.
Perfection is not. Ask yourself:
Am I pursuing excellence, or am I chasing unrealistic expectations?
3. Schedule Rest Like You Schedule Assignments
One of the biggest mistakes graduate students make is believing rest is something they will earn after the semester ends. Unfortunately, the semester always brings another assignment, another discussion board, another research article, another exam, and another deadline. If you wait until everything is finished to rest, you may never truly rest. Protect your calendar by scheduling recovery time with the same intentionality you use to schedule classes, meetings, and assignment deadlines.
Rest might look like:
Taking a walk
Spending quality time with family
Reading something unrelated to school
Attending church or engaging in spiritual practices
Exercising
Watching your favorite show without guilt
Taking an entire evening or even a full day away from schoolwork
Let me remind you of something: rest is not laziness. Rest is preparation.
Your mind and body need opportunities to recover. Emotional resilience grows when you consistently replenish yourself. The healthiest graduate students understand that productivity is not about constantly doing more. It is about knowing when to pause so you can return stronger. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is close the laptop, breathe, and trust that tomorrow is another opportunity to continue the journey.
4. Build a Support System Before You Need One
Graduate school can feel isolating.
Many students quietly struggle with imposter syndrome, anxiety, depression, and chronic stress because they assume everyone else is handling the workload better than they are. The truth? Many of your classmates are navigating similar emotions. Don't isolate yourself. Find your people. I created my own support group, and we kept each other accountable, celebrated each other's wins, prayed together, and reminded one another why we started whenever someone wanted to quit. Graduate school isn't meant to be a journey you carry alone. Community can make the difference between simply surviving the experience and truly thriving through it.
Your support system may include:
A trusted classmate
Your academic advisor
A mentor
A therapist
Family members
Friends who encourage you
Your church or faith community
You were never designed to carry every burden alone.
Asking for help is not weakness, it is wisdom.
Having even one safe person to process your stress with can make the difference between simply surviving graduate school and experiencing moments of joy throughout the journey. Do not wait until you are overwhelmed to build community. Create your support system before you desperately need it. Thank me later with this one!
5. Protect Your Identity Outside of School
One of the dangers of graduate school is allowing your degree to become your entire identity.
You are not your GPA.
You are not your dissertation.
You are not your research project.
You are not your productivity.
Before graduate school, you were already valuable.
Your degree can increase your knowledge, strengthen your skills, and open professional doors, but it does not determine your worth.
Continue investing in the parts of yourself that existed before school.
Spend time with the people you love.
Laugh.
Travel when possible.
Continue your hobbies.
Attend family events.
Celebrate birthdays and milestones.
Go to dinner.
Take pictures.
Make memories.
Your entire life does not have to pause because you are earning a degree.
Graduate school is something you are doing.
It is not all of who you are.
6. Take Care of Your Mental Health Before You're in Crisis
Many graduate students wait until they are completely overwhelmed before asking for help.
Please do not wait. Pay attention to the warning signs.
You may notice:
Difficulty concentrating
Constant exhaustion
Increased anxiety
Irritability
Loss of motivation
Changes in sleep
Feeling emotionally numb
Crying more frequently than usual
Feeling constantly overwhelmed
Difficulty enjoying things you normally enjoy
These are signals, not failures. Therapy is not only for moments of crisis. Therapy can help you manage academic stress, improve coping strategies, process imposter syndrome, strengthen boundaries, prevent burnout, and create healthier patterns for balancing life and school.
Seeking support does not mean you could not handle graduate school. It means you were wise enough to recognize that you should not have to handle everything alone. Your mental health deserves attention long before you reach your breaking point. If you're looking for a starting point, individual therapy support is one option worth exploring, whether you're managing academic stress or the weight of everything else on your plate this semester.
Dr. Shaunee's Final Thought...
Graduate school will stretch you intellectually, emotionally, professionally, and spiritually. There will be late nights, difficult conversations, unexpected challenges, and moments when you question whether you are capable of finishing.
Keep going.
Remember why you started.
Celebrate every milestone, no matter how small.
Choose progress over perfection.
Protect your peace.
Ask for help when you need it.
Rest without guilt.
Pray, meditate, or lean on whatever grounds you.
Laugh.
Cry if you need to. Clearly, I did!
And never sacrifice your mental health in pursuit of academic achievement.
Because the goal is not simply to graduate.
The goal is to graduate healthy.
As Scripture reminds me:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
May this semester be filled not only with academic success, but also with peace, resilience, wisdom, grace, and the ability to recognize that taking care of yourself is part of the assignment too.
Your degree is important.
But so are you.
Whenever you're ready.
If you would like to learn what care at SRWC could look like for you, we would be honored to hear from you.
Serving New York and New Jersey, virtually.
A gentle note: This post is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized therapy or mental health treatment. Reading this does not create a therapist-client relationship. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), NYC Well at 1-888-NYC-WELL, NJ Mental Health Cares at 1-866-202-HELP, or 911 for emergencies.
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