College can be a very stressful time of your life, and you may be so busy that you won't even find time to shower most of the time. On top of taking care of your physical health, it's also essential to take care of your mental health as well. After all, 44 percent of college students have reported having symptoms of depression, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among college students. If you're in a position where you feel like taking care of yourself is the last thing you're capable of, here's some help. While you may feel like a crazy mess, you need to put yourself, your body, and your mind first during these years. These small tips will go a long way and make you feel not only happier, but physically better too. And remember, you're not alone through this.
1. Remember to eat.
Many college students often forget to eat breakfast every day, because most of us sleep in until the last few minutes until we need to get up and hurry to class. But eating breakfast will give you so much energy for your day. Especially if you're one to start feeling exhausted mid-afternoon. This is a good tip to start boosting that energy up. Food is your body's source of energy after all. Not only should you remember to eat breakfast, but remember to eat lunch and dinner. It's so bad to skip out on meals, especially if you're staying up long hours to study. And most of all, if you're someone who is trying to lose weight, please please stop skipping meals to try and accomplish this. This will just make you feel even worse all day and will honestly not work in the long run. If you're trying to work on your figure, continue reading. But please eat 3 meals a day. We need food to be healthy.
2. Start incorporating healthier food into your diet.
Yes, it may seem like common sense. But this is a hard thing to do as a college student. You are constantly busy and broke, and honestly healthy food takes a lot of time and money sometimes. You don't need to turn into a veggie loving health fanatic, but start incorporating some vegetables into your diet and start cutting back some on your fast food. Also, cut down on alcohol if you drink often. I promise you will start feeling so much better. Many of us may not realize that our diet is the cause of our awful headaches, soreness, and exhaustion. If you're deficient in vitamins and minerals your body will start deteriorating. So throwing some broccoli, yogurt, and whole wheat breads to start giving you those nutrients you need.
3. Pick up an exercise class, sport, or simply go on a walk a few days a week.
This is one of the biggest ways to start feeling better quick. We need exercise to keep our brain functioning well, our heart happy, and to give us energy. Not only is it great for our physical health, exercising increases dopamine levels in the brain which improves depression. It has even been clinically proven that exercising is as efficient at treating depression as well as anti-depression medications. So pick up a Zumba class or go to your school's gym after class, even if it's just a day or two a week. I promise your body will love you for it.
4. Make it a habit to shower and keep good hygiene.
Sometimes we go to bed without brushing our teeth because we forget. Or sometimes we're too lazy to take our makeup off after a long day. However, make sure to do these things. They are essential to your body. Shower every other day. Brush your teeth before you go to bed. Take your makeup off and wash that face of yours. Change your sheets once a week. Clean your room and do your laundry. No if's, and's, or but's, and yes, that's an order! You'll thank me when your skin is clear, your teeth stay cavity-free, and you have clean clothes to wear.
5. Start loving yourself.
This one may seem like the hardest one of them all. Many people beat themselves up every day, saying they know they can do better in school, or thinking they're not good enough or attractive enough. If you're one who feels alone and feels left out because you have a hard time making friends, this is the best way to get yourself on the right track. Start loving yourself. Make a list of the great things about you. If someone doesn't like you don't take it personally at all. Once you start loving yourself, you will not only feel better, you will become automatically amazing to other people. People will look at you and go "wow, I wish I was that happy and confident with myself." After all, there is no better feeling than being happy in your own skin. You're amazing, so start realizing it!
6. Reach out to your family and friends during this time.
Make sure you don't forget about your family and friends when you're at college. Many people don't realize it, but most of their stress comes from living on their own and trying to transition from a teenager to an adult. You have resources, so use them! Call up your mom to tell her about your day. Call up an old friend and ask them to go out to lunch. Not only will this make you feel better, you'll make them happy too.
7. Have "me" time.
You may be stressing out about your class you're doing poor in. You may be losing sleep trying to work as much as you can. But remember, you need to put yourself first. Start working on yourself. Give yourself breaks. No matter how busy you are, you have to schedule in time for yourself. If this means taking a nap, listening to music, watching YouTube videos, etc., find some a time in your busy day to do it! Once you map out your day-to-day schedule, you are going to find gaps in your day which you can take care of yourself.
8. Make sure you get sleep.
Stress can keep sleep away from us sometimes. Some ways to help you sleep better are to not drink caffeine after 2 p.m. This will keep you awake (unless you need to pull an all-nighter, of course! But try not to do this too often). Also, try not to use technology about 30 minutes before you go to sleep. The light that emits from screens block melatonin which can help you fall asleep. Your body needs from 6-8 hours of sleep a night. But also remember, oversleeping can actually cause sleep deprivation so make yourself wake up on the weekends even if you don't want to.
No matter how stressed out, depressed, weak, or tired you may feel, remember that there is always a remedy. Implementing these tips will get you going on the right track. A happy and healthy you is the goal!
