UNIV 1100 Chapter Six: Personal Health and Safety (Part One)
Mind and Body Health
The mind and body are intertwined, and it's important to be aware of the connectedness between physical and mental health.
When the body and/or mind is stressed, anxious, or upset, your body may respond with physical symptoms such as high blood pressure, headache, stiff neck, or back pain.
Continuous physical activity throughout the day can also result in fatigue, which can slow down the mental ability to study.
it is vital that you take action to get support and services that will get you back on track if you are dealing with anything.
Managing Stress
College students are more likely to face more stress than they have in the past.
The ability to turn challenges of college life into enjoyable and rewarding experiences could very well be the difference between graduating and dropping out.
Common Personal Stressors:
- Problems with school work
- Loss of loved one or job
- Relationship problems
- Being abused or neglected
- Filing for a divorce, lack of family support
- Injury or illness
- Hospitalization
- Financial problems
- Lack of training for a job
- Being discriminated against
- Being bullied
- Legal problems
- Undeveloped time management skills and procrastination
Internal and Behavioral Stressors:
- Fears
- Expecting the worst in situations
- Negative and/or destructive self-talk
- Worrying about future events
- Unrealistic, perfectionist expectations
- Focusing on regrets or things you cannot control
- Keeping things bottled up inside
- Neglecting to take care of yourself
- Procrastination
- Excessive work demands
- Neglecting to resolve problems
- Over-scheduling yourself
- Insecurities
Tips for Coping with Stress:
- Adopt a CAN Do attitude
- Be assertive
- Learn to say "no."
- Manage your time wisely
- Plan short breaks during the day
- Get physical
- Leave the scene
- Reduce consumption of caffeine
- Plan an extra fifteen minutes to get to class and appointments
- Make to-do lists
- Choose to eat nutritious
- Laugh and use humor to give you a softer perspective on problems.
Eating Healthy
Having the energy to tackle all the demands of school requires the right kind of nutrition for the body
Focus on whole fruits:
- Choose whole fruits--fresh, frozen, dried, or canned in 100% juice.
- Enjoy fruit with meals, as snacks, or as dessert.
Vary your veggies:
- Try adding fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables to salads, sides, and main dishes.
- Choose a variety of colorful veggies prepared in healthful ways: steamed, roasted, or raw.
Make half your grains whole grains:
- Look for whole grains listed first or second on the ingredients list--try oatmeal, popcorn, whole-grain bread, and brown rice.
- Limit grain desserts and snacks, such as cakes, cookies, and pastries.
Move to low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt:
- Choose fat-free milk, yogurt, and soy beverages (soy milk) to cut back on saturated fat.
- Replace sour cream, cream, and regular cheese with low fat yogurt, milk, and cheese.
Vary your protein routine:
- Mix up your protein foods to include seafood, beans and peas, unsalted nuts and seeds, soy products, eggs, and lean meats and poultry.
- Try main dishes made with beans and seafood, like tuna salad or bean chili.
Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars:
- Use the Nutrition Facts label and ingredients list to limit items high in sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars
- Consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from added sugars
- Consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats
- Consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium
- Choose vegetable oils instead of butter, and oil-based sauces and dips instead of ones with butter, cream, or cheese.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Campus Food and Managing Your Weight
All students, faculty, and staff at NCCU has a Campus Food and Personal Hygiene Pantry to promote food security and good health on campus.
Maintaining an appropriate weight is important for general health.
To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn off.
Water naturally suppresses the appetite and helps in the metabolism of fat.
Establish a nutrition and exercise lifestyle you can live with.
Choose an aerobic exercise that you like. You don't want to make exercising miserable.
Decrease fat consumption. Choose low-fat dairy products and cut down on fatty meats.
