This semester, I decided that I really want to focus on bettering myself and my habits. Especially with the start of the new year, I feel like many of us strive to become better mentally and physically. In college, it can be hard to focus on ourselves all the time, which is why I wanted to make a list of small ways to challenge ourselves which eventually can lead to impacting our lives in big ways.
1. Keep up on schoolwork
This one is pretty obvious, but it's definitely easier said than done. Historically, I wait until last minute to finish my work, which is something many of us do and not a good habit to have. All of our work piles up, and it's quite difficult to finish it all in one session. Something that I am going to challenge myself to do this semester is to start my work right when I get it. This way, I can accurately get my work done in a timely manner as well as feel more organized. Ideally, I think it would be a good goal to get most homework done before the weekend, that way I won't have to worry too much about cramming everything in on Sundays.
2. Stay active
Becoming and staying active is a very important aspect of our mental health. I've gone in and out of the habit of going to the gym, but it never seems to stick. It's extremely easy to make excuses or feel like there's not enough time to get a workout in, however, in reality, there's always time. There are so many benefits to being active, one being it helps us be more productive during the day and get better sleep at night — two things important to being a college student.
3. Eat well
In college, it can be hard to eat good meals every day. We're all on a budget that means ramen noodles and delivery or the mediocre food from the dining hall. Although it seems like a lot of effort to eat better food, it can be done. At school, I tend to not eat enough, so I am challenging myself to eat some sort of breakfast, a good lunch and a filling dinner with many snacks in between. I want to focus on finding a good meal at the dining hall and sticking to it and stocking up on healthy essentials like peanut butter.
4. Get enough sleep
This one is really hard, especially when we're busy with homework, friends and other commitments. However, I know that if I'm successful with keeping up on my schoolwork, staying active and eating well, getting enough sleep will be much easier. This semester, I am going to challenge myself to go to bed before a certain time every night and consistently wake up around the same time each morning. I'm hoping that this will help to be more organized and productive throughout the day.
5. Plan out social time vs. alone time
Being in college, it's easy to constantly surround ourselves with people at all times. However, I've found that it's important to have time for myself as well. This semester, I want to make sure that I make time for myself apart from my friends. It could be doing homework alone, staying in on a weekend night or watching a movie in my room. Whatever I decide to do, I think it's meaningful to have time to think alone and reflect on what's been going on in life.
6. Be mindful of who we surround ourselves with
The people we surround ourselves with rub off on us and can be an indicator to who we are as a person. Surrounding ourselves with people who are positive and respectful will indefinitely make us into better people. I am going to work on focusing on who I hang out with and what it does for me as a human being. It's important to enjoy the company we have as well as get something positive out of it.
These points and strategies hopefully can help to improve yourself mentally and physically. Overall, I want to challenge you to focus on becoming the best student, friend and person you can possibly be. I am going to work on doing the same.
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