The Dos and Don’ts of Being a Healthy Student

Do

Get enough quality sleep.
Talk with others when you’re struggling.
Strive for balance in your life.
Make time to learn and do well academically.
Connect with others who are positive influences.
Feel free to say “no” when it feels right.
Get involved on campus.
Spend time on your interests and hobbies.
Interact with people face-to-face.
Create relationships based on give and take.
Stay in touch with faraway friends and family.
Respect yourself in relationships.
Be a caring friend while recognizing your limits.
Tune into your feelings.
Recognize your strengths and build on them.
Challenge yourself to take healthy risks.
Give yourself permission to make mistakes.
Ask for help.
Get moving and exercise regularly.
Eat nutritious foods that make you feel good.
Think before you drink.
Steer clear of using/abusing drugs.
Keep an eye on your drink.
Tap into methods of stress relief.

Don't

Pull all-nighters and have “I sleep less than you” contests.
Keep things bottled inside.
Stretch yourself so thin that you snap.
Cram, skim and skip your readings.
Hang out with negative, time-sucking emotional vampires.
Strive to please everyone and harm yourself in the process.
Isolate yourself.
Forget what makes you you.
Let Facebook and other techy pursuits take the place of human interaction.
Let yourself be taken advantage of or be just a “taker.”
Make people wonder what they mean to you.
Stick around for poor treatment and/or abuse
Get over-involved in friends’ struggles, to the point where it’s harmful to you.
Squash them down.
Bemoan your weaknesses; work on them!
Get stuck.
Always play it super safe.
Feel like you have to handle everything on your own.
Lead a sedentary life.
Eat crappy stuff all the time.
Give in to peer pressure to make poor choices.
Convince yourself that some drugs are “safe” just because they come with prescriptions.
Leave your drink unattended or accept one from a stranger.
Operate in high-stress mode consistently.

Copyright 2010. Prepared for our institution by PaperClip Communications. www.paper-clip.com