BY ADIA PALMER / VN STAFF WRITER
As a college student, my mental health is always teetering.
Some days I am happy and filled with light.
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.
Those days are my best.
Other days I feel low and fail at taking care of myself. I fall off my daily routine.
I will eat too little or eat so much I don’t want to move.
I will go to work and everyone will ask if I am okay. I will say “yes” but we all know the truth.
When I get home I sleep, but not a peaceful sleep.
I wake up every few hours, anxious and sad.
I know I should do my homework, but my accumulating feelings of sadness won’t allow me to do anything necessary besides sleep and eat foods that would thrill a kid.
The state of my mental health was not been diagnosed but I would call my mental state in fall semester 2019 anything but healthy.
My health was a concern for me mentally and physically.
My face was rounder.
I noticed my clothes did not fit properly.
I avoided clothing with buttons.
Sweat pants and hoodies are in-style street wear but I wore them because they were the only clothes I didn’t feel stuffed in.
The semester was over but my disastrous habits didn’t change and the pounds kept creeping up on me.
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 hadn’t gotten my bloodwork done.
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.
What if my cholesterol or blood sugars were high? What if I am pre-diabetic or, even worse, diabetic?
These questions aren’t farfetched because most of my family have health issues related to being overweight.
I saw how big I was in the Christmas photos and decided to step on a scale. I was at my heaviest.
So, in January 2020 I committed to a healthier lifestyle.
I didn’t want to be on a diet because they didn’t seem to last and only made me binge eat.
I wanted this to become a long-term solution.
Granted, those with a severe mental health diagnosis or those who feel the urge to harm themselves should speak to a professional for help.
But I wanted to try to deal with my issues on my own.
I wanted to take back control of my life, so I began with the one thing my family doctor said I needed: exercise.
My new lifestyle change was going to be active.
Though it has only been a month, my new lifestyle of clean eating and exercise is making a remarkable difference in my mental stability.
I exercise three to five times a week for at least 30 minutes and I make no excuses for myself.
If I can’t make it to the fitness center or a gym, I exercise at home.
I can feel a rise in my energy levels.
This the best I have felt mentally and physically since the start of my college career.
Seasonal depression and stress are difficult to overturn but I have done it (so far) with fitness.
I have lost ten pounds and my days are a lot brighter.
