Balancing Between College, Food, and Mental Health
When I was a sophomore at Michigan State University, I had the privilege to move out of the dorms and into an off-campus apartment. That meant I had to cook for myself. The first month was tricky because I was trying to figure out how I could balance my time between academics and time for myself to cook. If I didn’t have time for myself to cook, eating out wasn’t much easier. I didn’t know any places to eat to begin with because I was so used to eating in the cafeteria and there weren’t many places that felt like home. Some days, I literally didn’t have enough time to eat because I was so focused on academics that I neglected my own health.
Eventually, I learned that college isn’t just about academics: it’s about starting a new life. Why start a new life with stress, hunger, or even no time for yourself? For anybody who is transitioning into college or living off-campus, you’re not alone in this. I’m here to tell you my story and I hope you don’t make the same mistakes I made because this guide is not just for incoming freshmen, it’s for any college student.
Stop, Drop, and Eat
Here’s a scenario, and you might’ve already been through this: You’ve just been told that you have an exam in a few days and have very little time to study. You’re freaking out and you pay very little attention to your other classes because you’re focused on the exam. Because you’re focusing on studying, you don’t care about eating or sleeping. So then, you get stressed and drained all from this one exam that you have to study for.
My mistake, and most likely a lot of other people, is not taking a break. Another mistake that I made was I barely had time to eat, or so I thought. The thing is people often don’t realize that they have so much time on their hands. Ten minutes to people is not a lot, but it can be if you use your time wisely. Use that time to eat. Try not to use that time to rant on social media because that already is mentally draining enough and can get you riled up even more.
