As a student, you’re probably feeling performance pressure at all times and in varying degrees. After all, you’ve got one shot to attain your qualification that’ll dictate the course of your career. You don’t really have a choice but to pass your courses and get your degree or diploma or whatever qualification you’re after. Considering the lack of available positions in today’s job market, you simply have to be able to showcase a skill set that prospective employers will appreciate. So your time as a student is crucial to success later in your life.
Many students take on part-time jobs to afford them some extra spending money. So between a job, studies, extra-curricular activities, a social and family life you (like many others) are likely to feel a bit of stress. And stress destroys your health and diminishes your immune system. It’s vitally important that even during your young student years you maintain some kind of healthy lifestyle.
Ensuring your health remains at optimum is easier said than done. There are small changes you can make that will support a healthy way of living.
Pay attention to your diet
It’s so easy to forget to pay your diet any attention. Many people think that eating on the run is sufficient and even cheaper. Yet both of those beliefs are incorrect. Eating on the run often results in you consuming too much or too little. You’re grabbing your meals infrequently and are likely to be overeating or not eating all day, and then grabbing something quickly before bed. This type of eating is playing havoc with your blood sugar, your weight and energy levels as well as your ability to focus. What’s more, a sandwich or a salad made at home is far more cost-effective than buying a takeaway burger.
We are often fooled into thinking we get a lot of bang for our buck when eating fast foods, but these unhealthy decisions cost you. Make an effort to shop smartly by taking advantage of deals on foods that can be frozen. You can do the same if you need to purchase kitchenware to help you with your cooking. Fortunately, South African kitchen appliance retailers understand the benefit of offering well-priced kitchenware to assist the likes of students and young adults starting out. Alternatively, spend time cooking your fresh ingredients on the weekend and then freeze these cooked meals to use in the upcoming week.
Get off the couch
This is one of the most difficult things for anyone to do. Our lives are incredibly busy no matter who we are. So after a busy day of classes, part-time work and studying in the evenings most people want to curl up and rest. But exercise will actually give you more energy. You’ll feel more refreshed each morning, your quality of sleep will improve. Your ability to focus will be better than ever before and you’ll find yourself enjoying the spike of endorphins flooding your system.
Joining a gym is not everyone’s cup of tea and if you can relate then consider planning activities that’ll give you exercise and joy. Join a sports team, go exploring outside by planning a hike with friends or simply give up driving everywhere. Walking is an excellent form of exercise so stop bussing from campus to residence and vice versa. Walk to your classes, to the shops, to visit friends, and so on. Of course, only do this if it is safe to walk around and make use of your car or public transport after hours.
Stop the all-nighters
There are many people who claim that working late at night means they get more done. Many students find the pressure that comes from leaving their project to the last minute actually drives them to deliver better work. But constantly pulling all-nighters is going to have you feeling fairly poorly very soon. Your immune system is depleted when you don’t get enough rest and there’s nothing worse than having to turn up for exams or tests when you’re sick. So you should keep the all-nighters to a minimum and rather create a studying and assignment schedule that’ll help you track the due-dates. In this way, you can plan ahead which will give you a better sense of control of your time.
Even as a busy student, you should find ways to care for yourself. Be kind to your mind and body by living as healthily as possible. If you neglect yourself you won’t succeed in achieving everything you’ve set out to do. You need to find a balance between all your commitments and make sure you underpin the need for a little rest and relaxation from time to time.