Every college student essentially just wants to live a wholesome lifestyle. Easier said than done, and some do it more than others, but ultimately that’s what young adults strive to be.
The word “wholesome” is an adjective that is defined as: conducive to or suggestive of good health and physical well-being. It can be hard to maintain wholesome habits, but let me tell you a few simple ways you can better yourself every day.
Drink more water
You always hear people saying this or see it in an Instagram bio, but it’s entirely true. Water is a gift given to us to enjoy and, well, to survive.
Not only is drinking water essential and necessary for your body, I’m convinced it makes you feel better in general.
Water should be your go-to drink, with milk coming in second. Cut down on the soda and drink more water. Your body will thank you and so will I.
Get more sleep
I know this is not easy.
College students are always pressed for time due to juggling homework, work and their social lives. One could argue there are not enough hours in a day.
The obligation and incentive to stay up late for whatever reason always haunts the college student. I could be incredibly tired at 10 p.m. and still stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. just because.
I have massive respect for students that can maintain a steady bedtime. Young adults (ages 18-25) are supposed to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. It’s definitely safe to say the average college student probably doesn’t reach that or fits in the lower end of the spectrum.
You always hear your classmates ranting about the three hours of sleep they got last night while taking on two exams and a paper in the same day.
Welcome to the college life, people.
Lay off the nicotine
Ah, the chemical that makes the world go round.
Nowadays, we have all these newfangled “salt nic” devices that give us that soothing buzz. However, just because those aren’t cigarettes doesn’t mean they don’t have negative effects.
I’m not saying to give it up altogether; I just mean that it’s college. You could argue these devices are borderline required. That said, it would not hurt to cut back a little bit.
Go to your morning classes, get your stuff done, go workout and by the time evening hits, give it a rip.
Give your brain some time off. Treat the buzz as a privilege or reward rather than a right.
After all, we probably don’t plan on being addicted to nicotine forever, so it might be worth it to get a head start.
Spend time at the library
Oh no, not the library.
Believe it or not, spending time at the library can make you feel motivated. Believe me.
I spent a lot of time at the library first semester (mostly because I needed to use the computers to take tests, but that’s beside the point) and I got a lot of stuff done.
When you do homework and study at your place, there’s a lot of distractions that come with it. You feel tempted to throw on the TV, talk to your roommates or eat some food.
Those distractions aren’t an option at the library. It’s not fun, but if you grind out an hour or two at the library, it can go a long way.
It’s good to have a habit of going to the library.
Play some basketball
Even if you don’t like basketball, this is a great stress reliever and way to get exercise. Throw in some headphones and just start shooting, it’s actually so much fun.
If your shot is falling, get in a game. You can go to the Wallman Wellness Center and shoot hoops whenever you want (well, almost), so why not take advantage of that? Try something new.
These are some simple things you can do to make yourself a more wholesome person. I left out some clichés like eating healthier and working out because I feel like those are givens.
Doing these things can make you better mentally and physically, and both are equally important.
Look on the bright side. Warm weather is soon upon us, and that will only contribute to the amount of wholeness we feel.
Get a head start on it!