By Victoria Gladstone
Managing Editor
Life’s hard as a college student. I will not lie! My feelings have been all over the place recently after becoming a senior and coming close to the dreadful post-graduate life. To combat my sometimes overwhelming emotions, I’ve started practicing gratitude and thinking critically about how I react to the things around me.
You may not realize it, but your self-talk and general thoughts play a large role in your overall mood and mindset. Your brain processes these things and it actually alters your state of mind, according to Brain Balance.
Also, there’s research to back this up! Within the last decade, studies have shown that college students who show their gratitude are less likely to fall ill to common health problems.
“In one study, a group of college students who wrote about things they were grateful for once per week for 10 weeks reported fewer physical symptoms (such as headaches, shortness of breath, sore muscles, and nausea) compared to two other control groups,” stated a Mindful.org article.
In light of this information, I truly think everyone here on campus would benefit from a little self-care and reflection. My favorite practice of gratitude that takes only a few minutes pertains to writing a small list throughout the day of four good things. Whether it’s the fact you made your bed, you went for a walk, or simply got out of bed, that’s a small win that should be celebrated. This exercise teaches you to appreciate the little things throughout the day and it will quickly start to become an unconscious practice in your life.
Moral of the story: be nice to yourself and tell someone you appreciate them.
