Don’t try this at home

 

So yesterday and today have been pretty rough. I needed every spare minute to finish a 10 page research paper that was due today so that is why I didn’t post yesterday. Plus, I figured you wouldn’t want to hear me complain about how much I had to do, so think of it as doing you all a favor.

That being said, I am going to talk about stress, since we all seemed to have copious amounts of it this time of year. I have always been proud of my ability to handle stress well and with composure. The second half of this semester, however, has been a beast of its own.

Balancing the never-ending pile of academic work with an officer position in my sorority and an exec position on the Wake Forest branch of Her Campus has been a challenge. Most difficult about this semester is that I feel like I haven’t been able to catch a break since I stepped foot back on dry land after spring break. Those occasional lulls in school work where you can take a breath get some rest and prepare to start all over again? Nonexistent.

Needless to say my tolerance for stress is starting to fade and I am seeing the effects. Let’s just say that the combination of being able to eat sweets again and stress got the best of me yesterday. I will admit it, the endless hours in the library and the approaching deadline of my paper led me to eat some things I probably could I resisted in a less scattered state. These include: a cookie from Whole Foods (if it counts for anything, the friend did say “it’s from Whole Foods so it’s healthy!” when she gave it to me), a milky chocolate egg and some sweet tarts gummies.

In order to help prevent you from falling into the same trap I did, I will let you know what I have done wrong the past two days as far as stress prevention. My first problem is that when I am stressed I don’t really get hungry. Doesn’t really sound like a huge problem right? Well, though I lose my appetite for actual food, my craving for sweets skyrockets! Lack of sleep, stress and lots of caffeine are all detrimental enough to one’s health, but combine that with no substantial food throughout the day and come midnight I was all over the sweets.

So the moral of the story is: don’t let stress get the better of you in these next weeks! We are almost ready to pack up our dorm rooms and head home where pleasure reading, lying by the pool and free time are not just a vague memory. Think positively and make sure the sleep and eat well! Getting 8 hours of sleep and eating protein like eggs the morning of an exam is the best way to make sure your brain will serve you well, NOT a cram session in the library all night. I know I have learned my lesson. YOU CAN DO IT!

 

If you are feeling a little down about how you have been eating lately too, check out these healthy ways to detox on SELF.com!

HC love, 

Alyssa