As seasonal induced emotions have become something of a normality, there are many reasons why I feel as though I’m generally in lower spirits during the winter months. The days bring skies that are grey and cloudy, and in the evenings they turn to black all too quickly. The weather has its way of affecting my morale each day. I know that the sunshine makes me happy, but during the winter, I rarely ever see it.

Year after year, I’ve always felt all of these emotions and consistently have complained, but as the end of winter is nearing, I’m ready to make a change to how I live my life and how I’m going to make the coming of spring that much more exciting.

Recently, each morning when I’ve woken up for class in the early hours of the day, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to feel the pain commonly associated with a stomach ache. This was caused by my impulsive late-night snacking which my friends and I would often indulge in. This wasn’t always our fault, as our campus dining hall closes abnormally early, therefore forcing us to eat our dinner at an early hour. However, what I’ve recently realized is that there are ways to avoid the snacking which seemed to knock on my door each night.

In the next months, I’m going to invest in my body and treat it better than how I have throughout this winter. While this is will be pretty difficult considering the limited resources I have while at college, I’m going to try my best because I’m hoping it’ll help me both feel and look better. This means regular (and nutritious) meals that won’t leave my body starved throughout the day, and instead will provide me with the fuel I need.

Additionally, I was recently informed that the amount of water each person should drink daily can be calculated as their body weight divided by two, and the answer is the amount of water (in ounces) needed for sufficient hydration. Where I once found myself hitting a wall in the mid-afternoon as my fatigue would take over, I’ll now have the energy to continually feel good throughout the day.

While my efforts are centered around eating and feeling healthier, and by association cleaner, I also know that cheat-day-eats are essential for living the lifestyle which I’ve indicated. The goal is to just feel better about myself in general, and let’s face it: I’ll go crazy if I go too long without a slice of pizza. However, because pizza isn’t great for what I’m trying to accomplish, it will become more of a treat. I’m vowing to employ more fruits and vegetables into my diet, and cut out these junk foods which commonly leave me feeling guilty.

As the sun comes out and the snow melts from the edges of the grass, the colors of spring and summer will emerge and introduce a new personality of our environment.

In a similar way, (although in a significantly smaller sense) I’m emerging as something different too.