BY ADIA PALMER\/ VN STAFF WRITER<\/p>\n
As a college student, my mental health is always teetering.<\/p>\n
Some days I am happy and filled with light.<\/p>\n
On those days I ate a good breakfast, got to class on time, had a productive day at work, completed my homework at a decent hour and ended the night watching one of my favorite shows on Netflix.<\/p>\n
Those days are my best.<\/p>\n
Other days I feel low and fail at taking care of myself. I fall off my daily routine.<\/p>\n
I will eat too little or eat so much I dont want to move.<\/p>\n
I will go to work and everyone will ask if I am okay. I will say yes but we all know the truth.<\/p>\n
When I get home I sleep, but not a peaceful sleep.<\/p>\n
I wake up every few hours, anxious and sad.<\/p>\n
I know I should do my homework, but my accumulating feelings of sadness wont allow me to do anything necessary besides sleep and eat foods that would thrill a kid.<\/p>\n
The state of my mental health was not been diagnosed but I would call my mental state in fall semester 2019 anything but healthy.<\/p>\n
My health was a concern for me mentally and physically.<\/p>\n
My face was rounder.<\/p>\n
I noticed my clothes did not fit properly.<\/p>\n
I avoided clothing with buttons.<\/p>\n
Sweat pants and hoodies are in-style street wear but I wore them because they were the only clothes I didnt feel stuffed in.<\/p>\n
The semester was over but my disastrous habits didnt change and the pounds kept creeping up on me.<\/p>\n
The final indicator that I had fallen off the deep end was when I realized it had been months since my checkup in September and I still hadnt gotten my bloodwork done.<\/p>\n
As the days and weeks passed, my fears took over because I knew what I was feeding my body was not conducive to a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n
What if my cholesterol or blood sugars were high? What if I am pre-diabetic or, even worse, diabetic?<\/p>\n
These questions arent farfetched because most of my family have health issues related to being overweight.<\/p>\n
I saw how big I was in the Christmas photos and decided to step on a scale. I was at my heaviest.<\/p>\n
So, in January 2020 I committed to a healthier lifestyle.<\/p>\n
I didnt want to be on a diet because they didnt seem to last and only made me binge eat.<\/p>\n
I wanted this to become a long-term solution.<\/p>\n
Granted, those with a severe mental health diagnosis or those who feel the urge to harm themselves should speak to a professional for help.<\/p>\n
But I wanted to try to deal with my issues on my own.<\/p>\n
I wanted to take back control of my life, so I began with the one thing my family doctor said I needed: exercise.<\/p>\n
My new lifestyle change was going to be active.<\/p>\n
Though it has only been a month, my new lifestyle of clean eating and exercise is making a remarkable difference in my mental stability.<\/p>\n
I exercise three to five times a week for at least 30 minutes and I make no excuses for myself.<\/p>\n
If I cant make it to the fitness center or a gym, I exercise at home.<\/p>\n
I can feel a rise in my energy levels.<\/p>\n
This the best I have felt mentally and physically since the start of my college career.<\/p>\n
Seasonal depression and stress are difficult to overturn but I have done it (so far) with fitness.<\/p>\n
I have lost ten pounds and my days are a lot brighter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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\nHealthier ways transform her outlook on life - The Varsity News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"