Healthy Habits As A College Student

It can be easy to get distracted by school and social aspects and forget about maintaining good habits.

As a now junior in college, I now know that It is detrimental to health and growth in the long run if you neglect taking care of yourself and you mental health.

In an article by Northwestern Medicine, it describes consequences of the lack of routine include "stress, poor sleep, poor eating, poor physical condition, and ineffective use of time" (Northwestern Medicine). Now while each of these things may cause stress to the normal person, it especially is concerning for new adults who are already trying to figure out a career, relationships both friends and spousal, and school.

I found that the best way to counter that stress and anxiety was to ensure I am organized and write things out. This is so I can see my day's plan laid out rather then having everything jumbled around competing for what task I will complete first.

Using an agenda to more accurately plan and go about my week and individual days makes my life so much better. It's harder to forget things, especially like groceries or other important things I may need to do.

Another thing I noticed in college was how quickly and nonchalantly people neglect their eating habits. Whether that be complete binge eating or forgetting to eat because you're so busy. It can seem easier in the moment to go to a fast food restaurant but in the long run its cheaper and typically more nutritious to prepare meals at home.

It may seem like studying for the test until 2AM is a good idea, until it's not. "So, is it better to stay up and study or sleep? It turns out that a solid night of sleep is actually the best (and most underrated) study tip to learn and memorize anything" (J.E. Choi). This shows that if you have a test tomorrow and its 12 AM and you still haven't studied, you are better off getting a good night sleep than attempting to cram the knowledge in.

Unfortunately, its taken me until my junior year to (still) not perfect my study and life habits. I hope to add many more positive habits and influence others around me to want to adopt better habits as well.

Sources:

Choi, J.E. “Is It Better to Sleep or Study?” UPchieve Free Online Tutoring and College Counseling, UPchieve Free Online Tutoring and College Counseling, 28 July 2022, https://upchieve.org/blog/2021/3/8/is-it-better-to-sleep-or-study.

Northwestern Medicine. “Health Benefits of Having a Routine.” Northwestern Medicine, https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/health-benefits-of-having-a-routine.