Coming to college has taught me a lot on health, both physical and mental, and how to properly maintain it. I had to make a lot of adjustments during my freshman year, from creating an entirely new gym schedule in between classes, to eating different foods that were offered in the dining halls, and even to figuring out how much time I needed to spend on homework. I was eventually able to become used to this new dynamic and felt like I was back in my normal routine of trying to stay healthy. I felt motivated to stick to this routine, especially because I was now finally in college and felt like an adult being productive and devoting time to take care of myself.
But doing this as a college student is a lot easier said than done.
If you really think about it, college is one of the most stressful times of your life, because you constantly have so much to worry about that's on your plate. There's the multiple classes and assignments to deal with, then there's the obligations for clubs or organizations on campus, then there's your social life, and then there's when you want to dedicate time for yourself, whether it's working out or just sitting in bed watching Netflix. I would need more than two hands to count the amount of times I've stressed over all of these things so far in college, and where I felt like if I couldn't accomplish everything on this list, I was an immediate failure.
But the most important thing I've learned is that it's okay to feel this way, because we can't always be on top of everything.
From our crazy class schedules and obligations to the spontaneous nights of going out that end with you and three slices of pizza, it's hard to resemble that perfect health icon from an Insta fitness account. There are going to be days where you're feeling on top of the world because of how much you've accomplished, but there's also going to be days where you just can't find the motivation to do anything. And I'm here right now to say that both of these are completely okay.
At the end of the day, we simply can't do everything in the way we want to. There's going to be times where you might slip up and feel awful about it, but you're not alone in feeling this way, because everyone else is also going through the exact same thing. I'm not trying to say that you should entirely give up on all of your responsibilities when something isn't going right. But sometimes it's best to take a momentary break and to take a step back to check in with how you're doing.
Having a healthy lifestyle in college is not always going to be easy, but it's definitely manageable. There's going to be a few bumps in the road, but you're more than capable of making it past them and still having a successful journey. If you're stressed about having multiple class projects or obligations all at once, talk to your professors or other friends in the class and try to figure out how to efficiently manage your time to get everything done. If you were originally planning on going to the gym but there's no ounce of motivation to actually go, then stay in bed, because you won't have a good workout if you're in a bad mood the entire time. If you've been following a diet but are craving pizza, eat the pizza, because one meal won't negatively affect you.
In order to follow a healthy lifestyle in college, you need to do what feels the most right for you, because you're the only person who knows what the best thing or option is. And if you have one bad day, don't beat yourself up for it, because we can't be perfect 100% of the time. Plus sometimes, you just deserve that one day off.
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