Take Care of Yourself

The fall semester is here to stay. Lectures, quizzes, assignments, readings, projects and exams are about to happen to all of us and we need to be ready to face them. Don't let the semester and your schoolwork stop you from taking care of yourself the way you're supposed to.

Remember to exercise

Every student enrolled in the semester can use the HPC for free. You can go to any of the classes at any time of day, you can use the upstairs track, or any of the machines they have in there. If indoors isn't your thing, pretty soon, it will be perfect weather outside to enjoy yourself in. You don't have to be an athlete: walk a mile or two.

The key is to stay active. Yes, I know all of your midterms are essentially in the same week, but that doesn't mean you should forget to keep your body in shape. Exercise will help you with your stress levels and keep your metabolism up (freshman 15 doesn't have to happen if you don't let it!).

Eat healthy(er)

Nobody can stop you from eating nothing but those huge bags of cheetos all day every day, but you know you shouldn't. I love junk food, but I still make sure I eat healthy food as well. You don't want to sit in a 2:00 class and have a sugar crash because all you had for breakfast and lunch was ice cream.

Drinking huge, sugar filled lattes everyday to stay awake might sound like a good idea at first, but trust me, you're better off with tea or black coffee. Remember to keep everything in moderation. It's okay to order pizza, but don't order so much, the delivery guy becomes your best friend because you don't know how and/or want to cook.

Take naps

You will need naps, especially during finals week. If you're super sleepy after class (and you will probably be), take a short nap before you dig into your assignments. Give your brain some rest and be ready for the afternoon ahead. Your work will still be there, but the less alert you are, the more distracted you'll become.

A nap during the afternoon restores wakefulness and promotes performance and learning. Several investigators have shown that napping for as short as 10 min improves performance. (x)

Don't stress yourself out by trying to finish your assignments in one night if you have the time; don't stress yourself out by procrastinating your assignments until you only have one night to finish them. Take is slow, but make progress.

Yes, you should make your classes and your assignments a top priority, but don't forget to take care of yourself. It's much more difficult to take yourself out of a situation where your (mental and physical) health are at risk than it is to take simple steps that will help you stay healthy.