Staying Healthy When You're Away From Home

College is a stressful and busy time of life for all, but prioritizing your health can help make this time less stressful. Below are some tips for staying healthy while attending a college away from home.

Prioritize sleep. Students who are working or studying long hours may experience periods of sleep deprivation. This can cause daytime sleepiness, sluggishness, and difficulty concentrating or making decisions. Chronic fatigue is often linked with overeating because many people eat more when they are tired. Plan to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night to reap the benefits of being alert and energized.

Eat well and stay hydrated. A healthy diet can help improve mental alertness, concentration, and memory. You are able to be more efficient with your time, and perform better on your school work if you eat healthy. To eat well you must have options that are healthy. Buy fruits and vegetables to take with you on campus. When you go too long without eating you are more likely to eat unhealthier foods, and spend more money buying food, than you would have if you had planned ahead and brought food with you. If you need assistance about how to make your food choices healthier you can visit the Wellness Center on campus and sign up for a nutrition analysis. For more information visit http://www2.byui.edu/CampusWellness/

Schedule time for exercise. Exercise is important to your body's overall health. A good suggestion is to schedule in exercise like you would study time or class time to lessen the temptation of skipping it. If you find being in a gym boring you can go out and walk around the campus or join intramural teams for free, and participate in a sport that you enjoy. We have a Fitness Center on campus that is free for student use that is able to help you meet your activity goals. For more information about the Fitness Center go to http://www.byui.edu/activities/wellness/fitness-center.

Minimize your stress level. While some stress in college is inevitable, other stress is often brought upon ourselves. We can minimize our stress levels by avoiding procrastinating, not over-scheduling ourselves, being organized, and scheduling some time for ourselves to just have fun. 

Above all make you sure you enjoy your new surrounding. Change is a process not an experience. We wish you the best of luck.

BYU-Idaho Student Health Center

Three Steps to Managing Stress

Feel like your life revolves around being stressed out constantly? Well, here are some tips to prevent, manage and cope with your stress.

Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the ever-increasing demands of life. It is normal to have stress in your life; however, there are both positive and negative stressors. Learning to identify and manage your stress can help you to cope with life’s daily challenges.

The Three Steps of Stress Management

1. Determine what is stressful in your life right now

2. Identify ways to reduce stress

3. Make changes

Identifying Stressors.  The most important phase of stress management is first identifying your personal triggers. Take time to write down what your sources of stress are, rating them from high to low. Find a system that works for you.

Stress Reducers.  The following is a list of proven stress reducers; pick a few to decide which is best for you.

•  Sleep: This should be your highest priority. Getting enough sleep has been shown to help brain function and general functionality. 7-9 hours is best.
• Learn to say no: You don’t have to say yes to everything. If it doesn’t help you achieve your goals, it really is all right to say no.
• Exercise: This not only releases chemicals that help you to feel happy, but it helps to break down the chemicals that raise your stress levels. A regular exercise schedule can help regulate naturally-occurring hormones.
• Laughing: This has been shown to release chemicals and reduce stress hormones in your brain. Read a good comic or watch a funny movie or video clip.
•  Journal: This can go two ways. Keeping a gratitude journal has been shown to help boost optimism. Also, journaling about life helps to take the burdens from your shoulders.
•  Do something you enjoy: Take 5 minutes for “me time.” This allows for a few minutes to unwind. Do a hobby, play music, paint nails—anything you need.
• Spend time with others: Although it may seem daunting at first, getting out and socializing can help reduce risk factors for stress.
• Other: Do anything else that personally is relaxing for you.

Make Changes.  In order to manage stress and cope with life’s challenges, you need to make changes. Create and stick to a schedule. Plan what matters most first and then add in stress reducers. Eliminate unnecessary stressors. Make appropriate changes in your lifestyle today.

 You will never be able to manage stress in your life if you don't take responsibility now.  Relax, move forward, and don't be so stressed out!