Every new quarter at Northwestern makes it easier to fall into old, unhealthy habits. But this quarter, before midterms start, its in every student’s best interest to start collecting some good habits to hold onto when all the bad ones try to creep in.
Exercise (in some form) Three Days a Week
Exercise is good for your health. And not just your physical health, but mental health. And it isn’t as hard of a habit to start as you might think. If you have days of the week with only a few classes, take a break and walk around the lakefill or the beach. If that’s not your thing, hit up cycle bar or classes at SPAC. There are a million ways to make sure you are staying active, and having that habit set moving into exam season is something you will be grateful you did.
Set up a day and time to call home
Sometimes, its easy to forget how much you miss your family until you’re already stressed with a million other things. But calling home often distracts me from my personal issues; I can talk to my family about their own lives and catch up on the fun and exciting things happening to the people I love.
Pick a day each week as your “Me” day
Setting out time for yourself can be extremely difficult when it seems like every minute of your life has to be dedicated to school, but everyone needs a day off the pressure, and if possible, you should give yourself one. During exams, this might just come down to a few hours of break time, but its important to let your body rest now while you still have plenty of time to.
Put everything for the quarter in a planner. Everything.
It helps to get it all down. Every club meeting, class time, homework due. That way there’s never that “I’m forgetting something” anxiety that can be all consuming. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
One night every week, socialize
This can take whatever form you want it to take, but it’s important for your mental health to surround yourself with other people every once in a while, especially friends who have your back.
Eat Healthy, But Indulge yourself too
It’s important now to make sure you’re getting a good balanced meal in every day, but on a lazy Saturday you just want to make yourself Kraft Mac N’ Cheese, let yourself, and don’t feel bad about it. It’s refreshing to eat healthy, but it can also be refreshing to eat a donut. Listen to your body and know what it needs versus what you want.