Far too often, I hear my peers bragging about their poor self-care routines. I agree that college is an adjustment period full of many different life changes. Perhaps for the first time, you are living on your own with more life responsibilities in college. In addition, there are several changes that occur as a result of the step up from high school level work to collegiate level work.
When a lot of change happens, the first thing to let go of is a self-care routine. It is incredibly ironic that it is so easy to let our health go awry when we are at the lowest point or going through life changes. A positive health routine is what grounds us. It anchors us to become the best version of ourselves, both physically and mentally, so that we can pursue the life changes that we are faced with.
In college, it is difficult to find time to do everything right all of the time. Yet, it is totally doable!
Being mindful of what foods and drinks we are consuming and when we are consuming them is important to do, always. Making time to do some physical exercise is also crucial to keeping our bodies in a healthy state. Occasionally, there are free group exercise classes on campus, free rec center memberships to full-time students, and even classes that students can enroll in for course credit. Other outlets for exercise could be choosing to walk across campus rather than driving or walking all five flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator.
Using the campus resources to promote positive mental health is just as important as the efforts put into physical health. Setting boundaries to ensure that you are fostering appropriate relationships with family members, friends, and others who are vying for your attention. Staying organized and keeping up on all of your assignments helps to create a schedule for you to efficiently complete your work. Don't let college drive you to put your health on the backburner.
Pulling an all-nighter to get your homework finished on time is not impressive to anyone.
I understand that sometimes you really might be pressed for time and may have to work a little later than normal. This is OK if it happens every once in a while. I take issue with making a celebration out of poor health habits. For some weird reason, our culture and society encourage this attitude to work until we are achieving so much that we fail to acknowledge our health and wellness.
Let's strive to change this mindset while we are in college so that way positive habits are developed now and hopefully carried into the professional workforce post-graduation.
Prioritize your health and wellness because it will actually enhance your ability to achieve even more. Lastly, don't feel guilty if you really do pull an all-nighter to write an entire paper once or twice a semester; however, you better make sure that you are still nourishing and treating your body with even more respect afterward and certainly do not allow this to form as a habit.
