In high school, I would have considered myself to be a much healthier individual physically than I consider myself as a college student. However, I try to be sure to balance my priorities to ensure that the 3 pillars of health: mental, physical, and social are in check.

A major component of many college students' lives is how often they are able to socialize with other peers. I found this to be the most difficult to balance lately due to risks associated with Covid-19 and getting my school work organized. Having a social outlet, a safe social outlet, is very important to me. I want to make sure that I am meeting new people, making friends, and maintaining the relationships that I have already committed to. I have found that in college, an easy way to maintain a healthy social life is to take advantage of the opportunities that the university offers. I enjoy going to events hosted on campus and meeting others through organizational involvement. Most of my great friends from college were made by putting myself out there and taking part in clubs, student association, and sports. During the pandemic, it can seem hard to find these kinds of opportunities, but I still have fun on the zoom calls and WebEx meetings that these organizations have been holding.

Now to physical health.... this can prove to be a difficult area of life to balance during college. I have free meals (courtesy of my parents and meal plan) that are completely up to my discretion to be healthy or not. Personally, I am not a big "sweets" person, but I can put down some chocolate chip cookies. On the flip side, I have to remind myself to take a break from the business of school work to eat a balanced meal. It is easy to get sidetracked and miss breakfast and lunch here or there in college, but a big part of my brainpower is driven from a healthy diet (meaning the right kinds of food spaced out through the day). Either option is a form of binge eating or binge restricting that negatively affects my mood and energy level. To help with this, I try to make a plan the night before on when I am eating, where, and what food is going to be available. I find that preplanning reminds me to take care of myself and my body the next day.

Another aspect of physical health is exercise. I am fortunate enough to have a car with me at college; however, this commodity sometimes distracts me from the big health booster that walking around on campus can give to me. Walking to and from classes is more understood, but I try to encourage myself and others to walk to see friends and run errands if they are not too far off campus. Generally speaking, I try to get up before class and run as well. This is my main form of stress relief and it allows me to start off my day with a clear mind. RUNNING IS NOT FOR EVERYONE AND THAT IS OKAY! There are so many ways to exercise, like biking, playing on the drill field with friends, going to the gym, swimming, etc. Just try some new things and figure out what works for you as an individual.

Finally, and this can be the hardest aspect of health to establish in college, we have mental health. I have never struggled with balancing something more in my life than mental health. I distinctly remember my first two weeks of college, I met a student and he told me that in college there are three main things to focus on, but that he could only manage to focus on two at once: sleep, grades, and social life. He chose to give up sleep and focus on his social life and grades.... I followed suit. I do not encourage giving up sleep. Sleep works magic that nothing else is capable of and is a huge aspect of mental health. Being deprived of rest contributes to dietary problems, mood swings, and an inability to focus on the tasks at hand. Getting too little sleep can actually negatively affect your social interactions and grades. I have always required less sleep than my peers, but my body tells me when it needs more rest in the form of headaches. The bigger problem for me is trying to control my mood and level of anxiety.

Let's face it. School is stressful. Putting yourself out there is stressful. Trusting other people and the college process is STRESSFUL. That being said, I find it really important to take part in activities that help me reflect on my actions and beliefs. Obviously, writing helps me accomplish this. Running every day also contributes to a balanced mind. But music seems to be almost universally used to help students and young adults to maintain their mental health. Music is capable of reminding us that we are strong. It doesn't lie. It holds so much raw emotion out there that we as people constantly try to hold inside. I would even argue that music helps me to release my anger and my sadness when I am going through a rough time. Just last week, my friend and I were talking about a specific song that I have been listening to on repeat that can be used for both happy and sad moments to make us feel more alive. Personally, I enjoy playing music and singing (also not for everybody). Connecting with an instrument or letting myself feel through the words I sing helps me realize that I am not alone in all the madness.

Tying all that together, maintaining your health as a student and adult is really challenging, but taking little steps everyday seems to be the way that I best ensure I am taking care of my mind and body.