HEALTHY HABITS

Ethan Hong | ’20-’21 Director of Kiwanis

Hey, Whitney! May flew by fairly quickly for me as I tended to all of my school work, and with AP season finally over, there has been some time to relax—but not so fast! There’s still some time before the end of the school year, and until then I wish all of you the best of luck on any tests and projects you have to complete. It is pretty tough working at home, which is understandable. However, I have some tips that might help you reduce stress and improve all your time at home, now and throughout the course of this journey:

1.

Scheduling! We no longer have the school bell to start and dismiss us from class, and school work often bleeds from day to night. It is important to maintain a schedule to balance work, sleep, and relaxation. During this pandemic (but not limited to the pandemic!), health and safety should be your top priorities. Having a routine sleep schedule is important in defining sleep to your brain so you are able to sleep peacefully at the same time every night. Both getting a decent amount of sleep and maintaining a healthy sleep schedule are important for daytime function and reducing stress. Find a balance between work and relaxation. Like a scale, if you tip the scale towards relaxation, you may become lazy and not have the motivation necessary to work. If the scale tips towards work, you may become a workaholic which puts yourself in a stressful environment. Try scheduling certain intervals of time to determine when to work and when to relax. Having this schedule already written out can motivate you to follow through.

2.

Keep your body active! You undergo a lot of physical activity when you go to school. Whether it’s the Fitnessgram Pacer Test or walking to your locker, you gained physical activity from school. With school closed, however, there is no walking to class, no coach to keep you on your feet, and no external reason to be active. Despite this, it is so important to stay physically active! This activity can alleviate stress after a long work session or make you more awake to do work. When you’ve sat in one place for long enough, consider taking a break to stand up and stretch. Walk around the house or opt to do common exercises such as sit-ups. Any physical activity is good physical activity, in my book! For me, I’ve been participating in workout videos with my family, maybe try that for your family, as well!

4.

Eating healthy! Being home all day, it can be tempting to eat all the snacks in the kitchen. My best advice for you is don’t! If you have been lacking physical exercise, you might have been eating less during the pandemic as you don’t require as much energy. If you have been eating more, it may build up over time to a point where exercise would be very much beneficial to your body. On a normal day, you might be eating 3 healthy meals a day with some snacks. During the pandemic, you might have more hours under a blanket than out of bed. You may want to think about eating in smaller portions to match your physical output. If any of you are trying to lose a bit of weight during the stay at home order, remember that you should exercise as well as eat healthily and in smaller portions. Note: You may be thinking of the term “diet” but it most senses diets are for aiding a pre-existing medical condition. You can diet, but in general, eating a more healthy, balanced pallet and in smaller portions is beneficial for weight loss. Keep in touch! Social distancing is a misleading term: Staying 6 feet apart is a good idea, but it is still important to communicate with others! Keeping in touch reduces stress and maintains healthy relationships with others. There are days where you might feel tired of talking and you just want to be alone, and that’s okay. However, you should not shy away in fear from others. Chances are good that if you want to talk to someone, one of your friends will be available. You may even schedule a time in the day where you check in with your friends. Social distancing should not prevent social interactions, as both will support your health in different aspects.

This experience has been tough for everyone, but it’s important to remember the parts of your life you are still in control of. You have many opportunities to improve from the person you were yesterday; let that be your motivation to change your schedule, eating habits, or daily life for the better! We all want to get back to normalcy, but the idea of coming back better than before is rewarding and empowering. Consider change. Hope to see all of you very soon! <3