So England is doing “its thing” and raining; it is cold and miserable, everyone has exams, for those of us doing finals the dissertation and imminence of real world life are looming. Not a great deal to shout about there, but guess what? We can do it, and we can do it looking and feeling fabulous; here’s how…
1. Time To Stop Hating and Start Focussing on the GREAT Things About Ourselves
January comes and it is as if it is wired into our DNA to start picking out each and every imperfection in ourselves. We are too fat, too lazy, too ugly, not fit enough, too single blah blah blah….STOP already! Has anyone ever sat back and thought that maybe we feel this way, at this time of year, because we are constantly being bombarded with adverts, from various different companies looking to boost January profits, telling us that we should? Her Campus for one don’t regret a single Christmas indulgence and will certainly not be spending their entire January trying to make up for it!
So we challenge you to sit down and write a list of ten things that are great about you, your situation and your life in general. It will work wonders for your self-esteem and may just turn the most depressing month of the year around.
2. Try Your Hand At Something New
I sat in the Library today and had a wave of dread about the amount of time I would be spending sitting at my desk studying this term. But it doesn’t have to be so difficult; yes everyone has to work and yes the reality is that for a few months large chunks of the day will be spent crouched over a pile of papers, but everyone needs a break. Instead of spending evenings sitting and staring mindlessly at the television screen or mooching around the house hating on your day; do something different. University is a hive of activity with hundreds of societies just waiting to amuse you- join an arts class, get involved in debate societies, take up a new sport or even just go and support!
3. Hydration is Key
This may seem like the simplest and even most pointless piece of advice but Her Campus assure you that it is not. Too many of us underestimate the sheer amount of liquid that we need to take in on a daily basis to keep our bodies healthy and happy. If you ever find yourself feeling lethargic, exhausted, light headed or suddenly notice that your skin lacks clarity and your face looks slightly grey try drinking more water; you may just be amazed by how much better you feel in a very short amount of time!
4. Organise things to look forward to
All of us are guilty of looking forward and seeing nothing but work, work and more work. But it is a dangerous mind set to get into. We find the best way of motivating ourselves is to set targets or events to look forward to. It can be as simple and easy as organising a skype conversation with your best friend or planning to have dinner and a catch up with your housemates or it can be something bigger such as a cheeky trip to Paris or a shopping weekend in London. If you always have something to work towards the chances are everything will seem far more manageable and your ability to prioritise will be strengthened.
5. Get Outdoors
A typical (hardworking and balanced) day at university; get up, eat breakfast, study, lunch, study, gym (maybe), dinner, night out. At first sight it is indeed balanced with a bit of work, exercise and some down time in the evening BUT where is the fresh air? The sense of adventure? I am a great believer that even just half an hour every day of being outside can do wonders when it comes to making us feel better about everything. Try taking a detour on your walk to campus and focus on appreciating some of the beautiful things that Exeter has to offer. If you fancy it try a trip to Dartmoor at the weekend you will return feeling revitalized and much healthier for it.
Image Credits: www.i.telegraph.co.uk, www.feelingfabulousforever.com, www.cheezburger.com, www.coca-cola.co.uk