It’s Wednesday, which means we have some wellness tips to share with you!
1. Begin with something positive
After waking up, instead of going on your phone and scrolling through social media, try doing something productive that will set the tone for the day. This can be anything from journaling, going for a brief walk, exercising, or even doing something creative that you’re passionate about!
2. Get plenty of sleep
Our bodies simply cannot function on a lack of sleep. The body requires rest to be able to process information effectively, as well as heal the body. When we’re sleeping, our immune system releases small proteins called cytokines that are able to help fight inflammation, trauma and infection if we’re sick or injured. Not getting enough sleep can impair the immune system.
3. Get fresh air
Being in a building for eight hours a day can dull our mood, which is why it’s important to step out for a breath of fresh air every once and while, especially if it’s sunny outside. Making sure you’re getting adequate amounts of vitamin D can go a long way towards lifting your mood and energy levels. In the winter, consider investing in a sun lamp. Most people in Canada do not get nearly enough vitamin D as they should in the winter seasons as there is not enough daylight to provide this essential vitamin.
4. Eat real food
While in college, in can be easy to get stuck in the a rut of eating out all the time or only eating low-nutritional meals. The food we put into our bodies on a day to day basis has a huge impact on everything from our mood, energy levels, blood sugar levels and much more. Not eating enough, or not getting enough nutritional value from your food, can leave you fatigued, irritable or even anxious from the lack of vitamins and minerals that your body desperately needs to function properly.
5. Manage your money
In this day and age with excessive inflation, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re managing your money adequately. As a college student, it can be hard to juggle the cost of living and the cost of tuition, especially if you have a part-time job where you also have to manage your academic workload. Setting up and sticking to a budget can help significantly in making sure you’re set up for financial success. There’s nothing worse than worrying about money and dealing with the stress that comes with it. Consistent stress can lead to psychological problems such as depression and anxiety if left untreated.
A good way to make sure you’re managing your money effectively is by writing down all the transactions you do in a day. This may seem excessive, however, a lot of us do not realize how much money we really spend until it’s written down on paper in front of us. With debit cards and credit cards, it’s all too easy to spend money with the tap of a card. Keeping track of your spending habits by writing them down, or inputting them into an app, can help you realize how much money you’re actually spending. A lot of the time, we tend to add up the math of how much we spend in our head, but that is usually not an accurate representation of how much we actually do spend on a day-to-day basis. By doing this, you can decide what you really need and don’t need, which will save you money in the long term.
Another good way to manage your money is by taking out a set amount of cash each day or week, and electing only to spend that much within a given time frame. This helps you to track how much money is coming out of your account and helps you spend less by sticking to a strict figure that you allow for yourself to spend.
When money is managed diligently, it can greatly help to relieve the burden of stress and worry that many of us face.
– Written by Karley Woods, ACCSA Marketing & Communications Coordinator