I take a lot of pictures. Like, a lot of pictures. My friends get annoyed, but they know they can always count on me to keep their lives documented. It's fun for me, and I know they'll thank me someday.

I am an avid believer that every individual should strive to take at least one picture a day. Whether it be something memorable, pretty, or just interesting to the person taking it, taking one at least one photo per day can preserve precious memories, and improve both your physical and mental health.

1. Photographs preserve our memories

First of all, peep my gorgeous cousins a few years ago in North Carolina. Anyway...

Taking pictures throughout your college years and beyond will help you keep your memories fresh, no matter how bad your memory gets. Looking back on these photos will help all of us keep our youth with us for a longer period of time—something that most people wish they could do. With the devices we have with us all the time, we have the opportunity to preserve these memories for even longer.

2. When we take photos, we are more apt to get up and moving around.

When you are taking photographs, it’s easy to forget how far you’ve walked because you’re focused on getting the perfect shot. It will also get you up and out of the house, which can benefit your physical health as well. It gets really cold at my school during the winter, and we need something besides classes that will get us some fresh air each day. Taking photographs can be that something!

3. Photography of any kind can have a sort of therapeutic effect.

Finding the right angles, subjects, poses, filters, etc. can be extremely beneficial to mental health improvement as they allow the photographer to focus on something besides their depression.

Taking photographs allows you to frame the world how you want to see it, and can provide a shift in perspective, as you are literally “looking at things through a different lens.” With this shift in perspective, you start to look for and find beauty in places you never would have seen this before. Not only can this make your overall mental state better, it will also make the world a bit nicer to live in.

I won’t allow myself to wish I had more vivid memories of college—I want to know that I have proof of these memories all the time. By taking at least one picture a day, everyone can have these memories within their reach.

Not only will this benefit your physical and mental health, they will provide documentation of one of the fastest paced, exciting times in all our lives. Just one photograph a day can actually change your life.