Eating Healthy during Stressful Times

Having stress can sometimes lead to unhealthy behaviors, especially this time of year during mid-terms. But stressful times don't have to mean unhealthy times. The healthier you can stay during stressful times, the better your body will function for that big mid-term or paper. But it's not always easy. One of the first things you can do is figure out the triggers that make you stressed out. Think for a second about some of the potential stressors you may encounter in the near future. Identifying stressors in your life will help you figure out how to avoid those, or if they're unavoidable, help you to better cope with them. Other ideas for ways to manage stress and stay healthy are listed below: 

• Find a friend where you both will encourage each other to stay healthy and hold each other accountable. 
• Try to only eat when you're hungry. If you find yourself wanting to eat when stressed try another activity like going for a walk, talking to a friend, journaling, drawing, exercising, listening to music, or playing with a pet.
• Maintain healthy eating habits. The more unhealthy your diet becomes the less energy you will have and the worse you will make your body feel.
• Try to get as much sleep as possible. Stressful times can leave you with little sleep, but without proper sleep your immune system could become impaired making you more susceptible to sickness.
• Avoid overdosing on caffeine, especially if it's found in high sugar beverages. Both caffeine and sugar only provide short term energy highs, potentially leaving you more drained shortly afterwards.

These are just some generic ideas for managing stress. Think of other ways that you personally deal with stress and write those down some place you can reference. Then try incorporating these habits into your day if you're feeling stressed.