Hey! I deal with this too! It's like wearing a lead strait jacket and feeling like the bricks are pulling you into the ground on the way to class. Preemptive conclusions of futility in every area of life, and existentialism becomes less of an idea and more of the arms that keep you in bed. I'm at a good place now, but it's been bad in the past.
There's a ton of tips and tricks. If I had a dollar for every time my mother said "eat, sleep, and exercise", I could pay tuition for next quarter. Climbing. Gym. Solid sleep schedule. Eat clean. Go out and meet people. Keep on top of school work. Your phone is not the enemy. Etc.
But really, if it's super bad, telling someone to do all that is like asking a quadriplegic to a do a cartwheel.
I'm a junior at Western and I study cell bio, neuroscience, and English. I can totally break down the neurochemical benefits of running in Larrabee and maintaining circadian rhythms. I could also tell you which drugs to ask for to give the same effects. It's all just, I don't know. It's not a cultural hegemony- it's definitely just health. But yeah-There's really only one important thing-
If it gets super bad, tell someone about it or ask for help. I'm friends with the director of the health center and the dean of student life and it's mostly younger kids- but- suicide attempts went up 25% last quarter.
I don't mean to be grim! I'm totally free to hang out and talk and get coffee and talk about absolutely anything or everything if you ever need someone to talk to. STEM is kind of fucked up in that there's this unspoken understanding that mental health issues are just code for a weak work ethic and lack of motivation- coming from the daughter of two professors who look through grad school apps. So I'd honestly love talk to people who are level-headed and honest about this stuff.
And I love Western dearly and am always up for showing people cool things to do around Bham etc etc. It's such a shame- they could really do the school tours much better to show the school as the Hogwarts like complex that it is.
TL/DR: General lifestyle advice is good, but don't be afraid to talk to professors or anyone if you need to. And if you ever need someone to talk to, just shoot me a PM. I'm Ruth! I'm pretty awesome.