My Tips for Living a Happy and Healthy Lifestyle as a College Student

1. Find a workout you ACTUALLY enjoy

For basically all my life I absolutely hated going to the gym. I didn’t know what I was doing, therefore I felt uncomfortable and unmotivated when I went. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I found cycling. I absolutely fell in love with it and still do it to this day. Finding a workout, you actually enjoy is so important. It will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle because you’ll actually want to do the workout. Even the most motivated people wouldn’t be able to stick to a workout they hated. You want to find something YOU can stick to, that you won’t dread doing every day. Working out should never feel like a punishment or a chore, it’s meant to help your mind and body not hurt it. 

2. Stop the diets

Being “healthy” doesn’t mean only eating “clean” or “whole” foods, or constantly being on a diet. Rather it means avoiding those diets you hear about which are not maintainable and unrealistic. I believe that we can eat anything we want as long as it is in moderation. If you want to eat a donut one morning go for it, eating one donut won’t make you unhealthy the same as eating one salad won’t make you healthy. We need to stop only looking at food as numbers and see it as fuel for our bodies. Find what foods make your body feel the best and eat that. For me, being vegetarian makes me feel my best and I’ve stuck to it for over a year now. It’s all about forming a healthy lifestyle that is manageable long term.

3. Incorporate Religion and Meditation

In 2020 I really began leaning into my faith in God because it was the one thing that gave me a sense of security and comfort during such uncertain times. I think it is important for people to find rest in a higher power because (and this is speaking from experience) it truly can relieve you of your anxiety and stresses. Finding a few minutes each day to pray, meditate, journal, etc. will do wonders for your mental health, especially in college when trying to balance everything can become overwhelming. It’s all about taking time for yourself.

6.  Pay Attention to Your Social Medias

Social Media. Our generation lives and breathes on these apps. Unlike many people, I believe it can actually be a very positive thing. I’ve created a blog on Instagram @lifeewithlivvv where I only follow accounts that motivate me and speak positively. The same goes for me, I stick to only posting positive content. We become what we consume, just like you become who you surround yourself with. If all you follow are supermodels or unrealistic fitness influencers, chances are, you will want to look like that and end up shaming yourself if you don’t. The worst part is a majority of the time it is unattainable because we don’t see what these girls do behind the scenes whether it's surgery or photoshop etc. The same goes for if you only follow people who talk negatively about others or themselves - you will begin to do the same. Social Media has tons of positive aspects. You just have to find them. Once I took control of what I was following, I really saw my mindset change. With that, pay attention to who you follow because if you’re going to consume something all day at least make it positive. 

Some of my favs:

@Victoriagarrick

@Natachaoceane

@Whitneyysimmons

@Lindasunyt

@Laurenelizabeth

@Gretchengeraghty

(I have tons and tons more dm me if you want others) 

4. Utilize GOOGLE CALENDAR and Planners

Being in college we tend to have schedules overloaded with classes, work, and extracurricular activities which can become difficult to manage. My biggest savior is Google Calendar. Before each semester begins, I go through every syllabus and plugin class due dates, deliverables, meetings, and events. Looking at everything all spread out throughout the semester allows me to not become overwhelmed and realize I will have time to get all of the work done. I also use a paper planner which I use daily to write down my specific to-dos for that day. I’ve tried lots of different systems throughout my life in school and this has worked the best for me. 

5. Understand the Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep and a Morning Routine

I can’t stress enough how important sleep for both your body AND your brain is. It allows for our brain to process all the information it gained that day and also physically repair our body for the next day. There is so much more to it than just that, if you’re curious there is a book called “Why We Sleep” by: Matt Walker. He goes in-depth about why sleep is so important. While sleep is incredibly important, so it having a morning routine. Giving yourself that structure so early in the day sets the rest of your day up (or at least it does for me) for productivity. I think humans thrive the most when they have daily habits and schedules, it allows for life to feel more predictable and less overwhelming.

7. Find Time for Family and Friends

As most people know, college is a very time-consuming period of life. With internships, classes, deadlines, meetings, etc. we can barely find time for ourselves sometimes. With that being said, finding time to spend with friends and family even if it’s just a short phone call is so important. Life is about having fun, being social, and building relationships. Don’t let yourself get too busy that you can’t enjoy those aspects of life. So please make sure you leave free time in your life for hanging with friends, talking to your family, and overall, just leave space for whatever brings you happiness because, in the end, that’s all that matters.