Midterms are upon us.
We’ve approached that point in the semester in which the pleasantries of a new school year have worn off, and it’s difficult to find the motivation to focus on the task at hand: maintaining good grades and physical health.
As midterms approach, some among us have started to blow off classes and bask in the ever-enticing delights of late night poker, Xbox, Whataburger and movies.
While these late-night endeavors are part of the overall college experience, and even members of the editorial board find it difficult to succumb to the demands of school over the demands of recreation, it is important that all students exercise certain steps to ensure physical and mental health in the midst of these educationally trying times.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “Health is worth more than learning.”
This quote is extremely applicable to college students. While learning is important in the preparation of a student for life after ACU, one can’t effectively learn without maintaining physical and mental health.
Therefore, several things must be done to make this happen. Several of these are no-brainers, but it never hurts to hear things twice.
Get plenty of rest.
Although the amount of required rest varies from person to person, it’s important to know how much rest your body needs to function alertly each day. According to the Brown University Web site, most people need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night, especially college students.
Pulling all-nighters can interfere with students’ ability to learn what they’re studying. If you spend all night cramming for a test
you have the next day, you might be able to recall the information on the test, but it will most likely be forgotten shortly after. However, if you study during the evening or afternoon and get a good night’s sleep, you are going to remember what you study. During an eight-hour night of sleep, one will enter into the deepest sleep state, a state required for learning new material.
Along with getting enough sleep for learning purposes, sleep deprivation affects how one interacts with others.
Adopt a nutritious diet. The on-the-go lifestyle many of us lead keeps us at the drive-thru for most of our meals. However, going grocery shopping and having quick, healthy foods available will greatly help decrease our issues with weight, cholesterol and fatigue.
Reduced fat tortilla chips and salsa is one of the healthiest snack foods you can eat. There are many different kinds of foods like this that make great alternatives to a Big Mac or Whopper. Consult your nearest exercise science teacher or do a Google search to find out what they are.
Developing healthy eating habits will improve your physical health, concentration, alertness and confidence, resulting in the improvement of educational performance.
Recreation and study are both important.
Too often, students over-commit themselves. Too much time is spent studying, and not enough time is spent enjoying friends or watching a good movie. It’s important to establish strong study habits, but it’s more important to make sure these study habits coexist with your social life.
We believe that a life of all work is not much of a life at all.
Enjoy those around you and innovatively enjoy your college career. There is a time for study and a time for recreation. Find a happy medium and budget your time so you don’t have to constantly juggle the two.
As we approach that halfway mark in the semester, keep these things in mind. Start early on assignments that need work and tests that need preparation, take the steps to create a healthy diet, stick to the diet, get plenty of rest and have fun.
When you truly learn how to responsibly engage studies and recreation, your college experience won’t be a stressful mess. It will be an enjoyable, productive time with a few stressful moments sprinkled in-nothing you can’t handle.
