To the average student, staying healthy in college may seem impossible. Most people see ‘healthy’ as ‘Here are some tips to eat green leaves and fruits.’ Don’t get me wrong, eating healthy is important, but when you look on Pinterest for ways to stay healthy that is all that comes up. What about all the other problems we’re going through like stressors from school?

Looking deeper into Pinterest and using more specific wording, you are able to find better tips that do not just center on healthy eating habits.

1. Get enough sleep

This is an obvious tip that everyone hears, so it seems repetitive. Not to mention, the fact that college students have no time to sleep. We need to hang out with friends, study, work and spend time with our precious Netflix.

2. Take breaks

Everyone thinks that you have to study nonstop when preparing for an exam. This is the wrong idea. Study for an hour, 30 minutes or

maybe even 15 minutes then take a break, so you do not feel so overwhelmed. This break does not mean stop for two hours to go watch a movie; it means take, at most, a 30-minute breather from the stressors of college to calm down and overall recharge your brain.

3. Listen to music

Obviously, most if not all people do this constantly, but this really does help. Create a playlist designated for relaxation with songs that help you forget the world around you exists. Lose yourself for a period of time, so you are able to calm down, relax and prepare for the next class.

4. Set goals

Cliché, I know. This is a helpful tip whether you believe it or not. Setting goals helps you stay motivated throughout the semester, year and basically the rest of your life. Start with minor goals and lead up to the bigger and better goals you have prepared. These goals must be realistic, or you are going to be overwhelmed wondering how you are going to make them happen.

5. Make time for yourself and your friends

Making time to not only watch Netflix by yourself, but also be able to chill with your closest friends is very important. You could even make a study date with your friends. In doing so, you get to accomplish your work while still meeting your need for socialization.

6. Walk to class

Don’t get me wrong, we go to college in North Dakota, so most of us do not want to be walking to class in negative 30-degree weather. This being said, take in the nice weather we are having before it is too late. Even when it gets into those winter months, it will be nice to stretch your legs and overall get frostbite on your way to class

7. Ask for help

This is the biggest problem college students have; we think since we are considered “adults” we must know all the facts already and that asking for help is admitting defeat. Most believe they will be judged for asking for help when in fact everyone here is struggling. Ask for help when needed; it is not a bad thing.

8. Follow your body clock

Many of the Pinterest posts explained how students should wake up earlier to avoid being stressed and live healthier. I revised this into following your own body clock. Everyone is different: some people are morning risers while others are night owls. By this point, most of you have figured out which one you are. If you haven’t, think about when in the day you are less likely to want to yell at someone. This being said, follow that clock. If you are a morning person, wake up and do homework in the morning. If you are a night person, do homework at night and sleep in the next morning (unless you have a class, of course).

9. Wear warm clothes in winter

You would think this would be obvious for a person going to college in North Dakota, but the amount of times I have seen someone wearing shorts in zero degree weather is ridiculous. I get that you’re from the Midwest, but you are going to get sick and then transfer it to the rest of us, so bundle up.

10. Do what you want

These are all good ideas from Pinterest, but we all know that college students want to do what they want to do. They do not want to be told that this is the right or wrong way. If you take at least one of these tips you will be golden; if not, that is your choice. Do what you want, you are considered an adult now, so if you choose to disregard all of these tips, then that is your choice. These are tips for being healthier in college, not necessities, so keep these in mind when you start feeling like you are in a rut.