People come into college fearing the phrase “the freshman fifteen.” They watch themselves carefully, navigating self-serve dining halls with trepidation and discretion. They desperately try to maintain the habits they had at home, skirting the dessert table and favoring the healthier options. But for many people the most tantalizing types of food aren’t in the cafeteria. They’re in dorm rooms, tucked into clear, plastic bins of temptation. The go-tos, the comfort foods, the I aced my exam treats, the I should’ve studied harder condolences, the way you get through midterms and finals. Why can it be so incredibly hard to control yourself in your own room?
Food is undeniably a comfort. Think of the staple food items that you grab as soon as you run into Wal-Mart. Hot chocolate mix? String cheese? Pretzels? Gold fish? Everyone has their own comfort foods. These treats serve as memories of friends, family, and home. When we find ourselves getting wistful or nostalgic or overwhelmed by homework, we reach for one of these delicious reminders of home. Any strong flare-up of emotion and we can find ourselves running to our three-drawer organizers of yummy relief. But this food can easily transform into a crutch. While there’s nothing wrong with a daily treat, these snacks need to remain as such, rather than turn into coping mechanisms.
It’s your room and your rules. It suffices to say that most, if not all, students don’t keep a full tableware set in their dorm rooms. It’s far more convenient and time effective to grab a handful of cereal out of the box, pop an Eggo in the toaster and to eat it off a paper towel, or have a few spoons of peanut butter straight out of the jar. We’re in college, after all, who has time for plates? Bowls? For measuring portion sizes? After years of being told to eat at the kitchen table, it’s liberating to make your own rules. But this lack of ordered feeding can quickly lead to over-eating. One handful of cereal can turn into twenty, whereas a bowl of cereal would’ve amounted to far less. It might not always be appealing to take the time to find your long-buried bowls and plates. But it can be a subtle reminder of what life was like at home – a way to relax after a long day. Sometimes taking the time to make yourself a plate of dinner rather than eating a hasty meal of disjointed snacks is all the comfort you need to alleviate your stress.
Stress is bad and guilt is worse. We’ve all seen it time and time again in magazines: if you’re stressed out, the first place you’ll accumulate weight is your stomach. Stressing in your room after a long day is completely normal, but making it a daily routine is a quick way to guilt yourself into feeling worse and worse. This pattern of nervousness and stress can be combatted by calming decorations in your room. Photos of your favorite spots, destination maps, calming shades of yellow and blue – your decorative choices can be an easy fix for these stressful moments. When you’re stocking up on snacks, take a few minutes to stock up on décor as well. Even a few (unlit) candles can convey a mood that’s far more easy-going than tense. Reducing the amount of stress in your room can get you feeling healthier in no time.