3 Tips for College Students: How Have a Healthy College Experience

Hello fellow readers of Radiating Sunshine! My name is Rhea and I blog over at RheaEtcetera.com, a lifestyle blog on fashion, food, trips & travels, and etc (hence the name) :). I am so excited when Alex invited me to guest post in her blog and share a piece of me with her fellow readers!

It's so fun getting to know Alex through her posts and her blog makes me miss college! I majored in English - spent my first two years in community college then transferred to a university to complete my Bachelor's.  When I transferred, that was my first time living in the dorms as well. It's been seven years for me since college graduation... and while I do not have any more all nighters writing a paper or reading for class, let me tell you that post college, it's a whole different level of stress (getting a job, bills, and probably the most biggie - student loans!) but the similar theme between college and post graduation is that really, you earn with what level of effort you put into it - you reap what you sow.

Prior to college, the advice I got from friends and family were essentially the same theme: study hard, do well, get that degree, get a job, move on to adulthood. Because I went into college thinking hard that I have to focus on my studies and nothing else, I feel that missed out on a lot. I wish someone gave me these advice as well.

Here are my top 3 tips to college students for a healthy and balanced college life, based on my experience:

Okay...random first advice right? Let me tell you about my first day of my junior college year when I first lived in the dorms at the large university that I went to. My attire: college shirt, shorts, sneakers (and I am not talking about a cutesy outfit... size a little too big and looked like I hadn't thought through what I am wearing) and for a back pack... I had a black laptop back pack that carried my 17 inch laptop plus my anthologies. Yup, I have no idea what was I thinking purchasing a 17 inch laptop - clearly not easily carried, not to mention that since I majored in English, all my books were pretty much 8 inch anthologies per class.

I ended up not using my laptop in class - that was not my study habit and I prefer writing notes in a notebook anyway. Plus, I looked like an overnight camper instead of a college student.

Long and short of it: Seriously, what you just need in class is a pen, notebook, your books, and an eager mind to learn.

It was my first time living on my own away from my family too that I didn't really know how to make my own food (kudos to Alex for her recipe posts and making her own food! :) ). My diet consisted of pizza, burgers, fries, and anything fried. Whatever was easy to purchase with my tight schedule of literally a 10 page paper due every week, plus I was working 3 days a week at our local newspaper to pay my bills.

I think a lot of college students go in to it thinking they have no way around weight gain in college. I definitely had my reasons why I hadn't prioritized my health, but if I could go back, I would have learned about proper diet. After college, when I prioritized healthy eating, I learned that it was not really the amount of papers I had to write for school that was truly causing me to feel so tired and exhausted. All the bad oil from my diet was the culprit. It took me a few years post college to lose all the excess weight and feel healthy. In my current career, I have days when I have to work 10-11 hour days consecutively (can be compared to a typical college day - at least from my life in college), but because I've been eating healthier, I do not feel as tired.

Long and short of it: eat a balanced diet. Veggies, fruits, and a healthy balanced of protein and good carbs are your best friends especially when stressed. Also, exercising is a wonderful stress reliever!

Admittedly, even after college - sometimes I have to keep reminding myself this. Like I mentioned, post college is a whole different level of stress, especially depending on the career you fall into. Now working in marketing, I have seasons in the year when I have so much deadlines that overtime hours are inevitable. Sometimes I do not take breaks just to get work done. Other days I remember that I need to step back and take a breather.

When I was in college, I never had that realization that it's important to take a break. I kept up a part time job with a full load of 16 to 18 units a semester. I had a paper due every week. I was friends with my roommate but it was so rare hanging out with her because of the amount of school work I had to do. Because I was too focused on getting great grades and completing my degree, I missed out on joining clubs at school. Missed out on discovering the town my college was in because I was locked up in my dorm room or the library. Missed out on making other new friends.

Long and short of it: live a balanced life. Life isn't just about responsibilities alone - looking back now, I could have spent time studying in the beach, in the local park. Study groups and group discussions while walking around the park or even hiking. There are ways to bring the fun into work!

College is such an AMAZING time to discover yourself, your potential, new friends, and new interests. It definitely is the time to prepare for adulthood, but as what you will learn in adulthood/career life - the most important thing is living a healthy and balanced life. Do well, strive hard, squeeze in some fun and relaxation, and enjoy every minute of it all! :)

If you'd like to check out the interests I've discovered post college, please come visit me over at RheaEtcetera.com. Thank you fellow readers for your time, and thank you Alex for this opportunity! :)

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Alright, friends I don't know about you but I pretty much loved everything that Rhea said! Thanks for guest posting and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I'm blogging over at Rhea's blog today so make sure you go check out her cute page!