In my opinion, if anything is deserves to be called Before Anything Else, it’s breakfast, because it’s literally one of the first things I do each day! This semester, I ended up choosing classes that were so close together that I have no time Monday through Thursday to stop by the dining hall during lunch hours.
Since I also have 9:30AM classes on all of those days, I figured that I might as well use my dining hall swipes by getting breakfast at NDH before my early courses. I’m so glad I did, because even though I have to get up even earlier to fit in breakfast before class, taking the time to sit down for breakfast has become one of my favorite parts of the day!
Wake Up- to Food!
I love breakfast food (in fact, I‘ve written an entire HCND article dedicated to oatmeal), whether it’s a simple meal of cereal or oatmeal or one of my family’s pancake brunches for the holidays. Knowing that I will get to eat delicious breakfast food soon after I wake up motivates me to get up early in the morning. I’ve noticed that this semester, I’ve been really good about getting up the first time my alarm goes off instead of hitting the snooze button.
Eating a solid breakfast before class also helps to revive and recharge me before a long, busy day of classes, rehearsals and other commitments. I also love having tea or coffee with breakfast because having a warm drink on a cold morning is one of the best things ever, and it really puts me in a good mood before class starts.
Catch Up on the News
One of the great things about eating in the dining hall is that I’m able to pick up a copy of the New York Times on my way inside. Sitting down for breakfast gives me time to peruse the paper and catch up on current events, nationally and internationally. I also like to read the Arts and Science columns, probably since I major in Music and Anthropology.
During the day, I don’t have the time to check current events, and I’m not actively thinking to update myself on the news. Even if I did, I prefer reading physical material over looking at a screen, especially for the news because sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of articles on a news journal’s website. Plus, reading the paper over breakfast makes me feel like I’m adulting :).
Mental Preparation for the Day
Expanding on the fact breakfast is revitalizing for me, sitting down and taking time to eat breakfast allows me to settle myself and prepare myself mentally for the upcoming commitments of the day. The experience of sitting down for breakfast at the dining hall–Love thee ND(H)!— is so calming for me; it’s pretty quiet and mostly empty, and it’s a great environment for me because I’m not fully introverted, but I do feel the necessity for alone time in order to “recharge” for social interaction. Having breakfast before doing anything else is the perfect opportunity for me to do that, and I always feel properly ready to face the day afterwards.
Breakfast is an important meal in the day, for physical, mental and spiritual health! Definitely try breakfast in a dining hall or one of your favorite spots on campus one day before class; it really improves the rest of the day (even Mondays)!
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