Staying Healthy and Happy In College
Regardless of your year, college is challenging. It’s difficult to stay on top of work, be social, exercise, eat right, and get plenty of sleep. If you are checking off all of these boxes, A) maybe stop reading this article, but b) what’s your secret?
No matter what, at the end of the day your health and happiness is all that matters. At least in our opinion. Here’s a list of what you can do to ensure a great lifestyle for yourself at school. Let’s get started.
Sleep.
You may be saying, “Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that one many times before.” But, seriously—this is the single most important thing you can do for yourself. Sleep does a multitude of things for you, one of which is keeping you healthy and away from sickness. It also eases stress and relaxes your body from that busy college lifestyle. If by the end of the night, you are struggling to stay awake while doing homework, try going to bed and waking up early the next day to finish. Your body needs the rest and will be much more energized and able to complete your assignment after its well-deserved and much-needed beauty sleep.
2. Eating right
As they say, you are what you eat. And we really believe this to be true. If you are eating like sh*t, then you might start feeling like it too. In order to feel motivated and get through your day of tasks, assignments, and social moments, you need to fuel your body properly. If you want a chocolate chip cookie, eat that delicious piece of heaven. But be mindful of portion sizes, or try to get some greens on your plate the next day.
3. Down time
Sleep is important, but for your mental health, so is down time. This can be anything from watching Netflix, reading a book, to playing cards with friends. This time is meant for you to not be worrying about your job, school work, or anything else on your to-do list. It is simply meant to relax you and have your mind blank for a while.
4. Exercise
This word may scare you enough to make you stop reading. But, if you are one of those people, please keep reading! Exercise can mean what you think—heading to the gym and running on the treadmill or lifting weights. But it can also mean taking a long walk around campus or even dancing in your room. Your body is made to move, so get moving!
5. Spend time with friends
Relationships are so important, especially in college when you are away from home and the support of your hometown family and friends. Making time to hang out with friends is crucial to being happy in school so that you feel supported and loved and are having fun. Spending time with friends can mean just exploring campus and the area around it together, meeting for coffee or food, or hanging out and watching a movie. Enjoy the people you’re around these four years because you never know what role they will be play in your life after graduation.
Hopefully this gave you a few ideas for how to start feeling more healthy and happy while on campus. Each activity on this list is so important not just for college students but for everyone. While at college, it is even more important to accomplish these things because the habits you are making now will stick with you after you graduate.