By Greg Minor
Student Reporter
Leaving the dorms headed to class without a sock, without enough sleep and with incomplete homework assignments, is a student who needs to get their act together.
There are three major actions that students need to be mindful of in order to get their act together: Prioritizing, Exercising and most of all getting sleep.
Prioritizing can be broken down into must have, nice to have and won’t have. For college students “must haves” would be the essentials you need in order to be as productive as you can be on a daily basis. Something that is “nice to have” foR would be ordering pizza hut on a daily basis instead of using your meal plan to go to the café on campus. If a student doesn’t prioritize what needs to be done first then, “won’t have” comes into play.
At times we may get caught up in helping others before helping themselves, which makes us human. But as students, helping others in particular can deter us from what we have to do, especially if we haven’t accomplished what needs to be done.
Students can be there for their friends but in certain situations referring them to a person who specializes in helping others is the better option in most cases. Guidance counselor, Taylor Wilson said, “Counseling is confidential and neutral. Counseling can help people work through unresolved trauma, improve self-awareness, and learn coping mechanisms to manage depression, anxiety, anger, stress.”
In addition to advising a friend to see a counselor, getting sleep is just as important. “Not getting an adequate amount of sleep can have negative effects on mental and physical health,” Wilson said. “There are several options on ways to improve sleep patterns, one being Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.”
As a student there is always help on campus from a counselor but in some cases just staying healthy can be difficult as a student. Managing your time and schedule can be tough at times. Not getting proper meals, nutrition and exercise can have negative effects on classroom performance as well.Richard Burdick, the Wellness Center Director said, “Un-plug. This generation of students see a lot of distractions. I tell my students you go to sleep with your phone and you wake up with your phone. Being able to focus on things that are important and prioritize definitely can help because sleep is crucial.
“Being new to the adulting process and being able to choose the times, places and things students consume and how much or little activity they get is definitely something most kids should improve in,” Burdick said, “Especially if it’s not in their day to day routine.”
Exercising is just as important physically as mentally when it comes to stress relief. Students at times push exercising to the side and the more enjoyable things get placed in front. “Sedentary lifestyle equals individuals with less self-confidence, worse self-talk, and hindered academic performance,” Burdick said. “Being physically active definitely has endorphins that are firing, which help you be more productive allowing you to have a better outlook at day to day life.”
Prioritizing, exercising and getting enough sleep are important. Try not to leave for class without enough sleep. Instead with complete homework assignments, enough sleep and healthier than ever. Some students need to their act together.