This year, I am a junior in college and I still struggle to keep my sanity once classes start. I don’t know if you can ever really become sane while you are in college, but hopefully some of these tips might help!

Now, I know some of you might be thinking, “Oh this is just another article about how to stay on top of things during college.” Well it’s actually so much more, it's a lifestyle.

College is intense. For me, I really struggled my first year of college. I wish someone would have shared with me these tips, because it would have made my life a heck of a lot easier.

1. Eat Healthy

I really struggled with this the first month of freshman year. The freshman 15 is no lie. Eating right helps improves your overall health, which is crucial for not getting sick (trust me, you do not want to get sick in college.) Don’t get me wrong, the occasional midnight trip to McDonald’s is OK, but don’t make it a nightly adventure.

2. Exercise

I don’t know where you all go to school, but where I went my freshman year, we had a free gym located on campus. If that’s the case, take advantage! Even if you don’t have access to a gym I highly encourage you to do an at home work out, bike ride or jog. Not only does this give you more energy, but also makes you feel healthy! I could definitely tell the difference when I would workout as opposed how I felt when I didn't work out.

3. Coffee

If you are not a coffee drinker, you might want to start. Some people might disagree with this, but you sometimes need that extra boost of caffeine to get your day started. (Coffee also helps for those late night study groups.)

4. Take breaks

This is a huge one. TAKE BREAKS. Our brains can only take so much reading or memorization at a time. I try to take breaks at least every 30 minutes with a 5 to 10 minute break in-between study sessions. For some people, this might not work. But if you get overwhelmed easily, this is a great tool to being more successful in some of your more tedious classes.

5. Limit Social Media

I don’t know about you guys, but once I get on Facebook or Instagram one minute turns into an hour without you even realizing. Limit yourself! If you are using this as part of your 10-minute break go ahead and set a timer on your phone or tell your roommate / friend to only allow you that given time. Yes, that sounds a little extreme but I would get so overwhelmed and just not want to do anything because I didn’t know where to start. It came down to me putting my phone in my desk where I couldn’t see it or think about it. Out of sight, out of mind.

6. Treat yourself

Now this can be viewed in a couple different ways. This could go back to food, having a desert everyone in awhile is OK. Let’s be real, deserts, ice cream, chocolate and basically anything with lots of sugar is always delicious. Just don’t do it excessively. The other way you could perceive this as a movie night after a hard test or going out to a nice dinner with some of your friends.

7. Socialize

I learned this the hard way. It is vitally important that you talk to other people on your floor or in your classes. Make friends! It’s OK to have some alone time, but you also need to have to have the occasional stupid but yet hilarious conversations with your friends. This is a way to vent or take your mind off of the schoolwork and just enjoy being a young adult.

8. Be confident

Did you know it is actually proven that if you get anxious before a test, your brain cuts off your long-term memory? Yeah that’s a thing. This makes recalling information nearly impossible. So, be confident! At the end of the day, if you have put in the work then there is nothing more you can do. The sooner you can grasp that concept the better off you will be.

Before every test, I always talked to myself, saying “you got this! You have put in all the work. Now it’s time to apply it. There is nothing more you can do so focus and Ace this test!” Yes, I talk to myself. And it might be a little cliché, but you have to do what works for you.

9. Put in the work

Like I said in the previous paragraph, put in the work. My parents have always told me since I have been in college that school is my full-time job. And it really is. Between studying, homework, online quizzes and memorization for 30+ hours a week, it is a full time job. Put in the work and you will be rewarded in the long run.

10. Get organized

To all of you disorganized people, it’s time to get a planner and actually use it. If you don’t get organized, college will just be that much harder.

11. Sleep

You need sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. Not only to recharge your body but especially your brain. With all the information you are taking in, your brain needs to have time to process and recover.

12. Have a hobby

You could do this as one of your breaks as well. Start a hobby such as coloring, reading a non-related schoolbook, crochet, go shoot some hoops, or join a club. I found myself 10 times more productive when I would have a hobby.

13. Naps

I was not a huge nap-taker, until I got to college. Naps are a way of life as a college student. Not only does it make you feel better and more alert, but also helps clear your head.

14. Eat breakfast

I was also not a huge breakfast eater until college as well, but I highly recommend it now. Breakfast helps to boost your metabolism before your day really even begins. It also helps your stomach not grumble in that 3-hour lecture from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

15. Comfort is key

I wish someone would have really talked to me about this before bringing all of my cute clothes. News flash: You will hardly wear those clothes unless you are dedicated to waking up one hour before class to do your hair and makeup. There is nothing wrong with that by any means, but you will soon realize comfort is key when you have a long day ahead. Once classes start, my wardrobe is basically track shorts and sweatshirts.

16. Be spontaneous

I am a planner. I like knowing what I have planned for the day, however that usually never goes as planned. Sometimes you have to be spontaneous and take random trips to Target — as long as you feel like you have your schoolwork under control and can take a spontaneous trip somewhere.

17. Sabbath Day

For me, my faith makes me who I am and I need to have a daily, if not hourly or every minute, reminder of that. Taking a Sabbath Day is not only relaxing but also makes my personal relationship with God stronger. We can only do so much before we can’t take anymore, usually ending in a mental breakdown. If you really think about it God rested on the seventh day of creation and saw that it was good. God rested! He calls us to have that same rest in our lives. In the midst of the four online quizzes, one eight-page paper, and two tests and other last minute assignments all being due by the end of the week, we need to recover from the chaos being thrown at us. We need to just be sometimes.

I struggle with dedicating that day for rest. I am almost always doing something and need that reminder to relax and regroup myself.

There are many various ways to keep your sanity while in college. These were just a few things I wish I would have known and still need daily reminders of. Enjoy this chaotic yet adventurous time in your life. Keep these in mind when you feel overwhelmed, I know these tips have made me more successful in keeping my sanity. I hope they can help keep your sanity as well.