What does it look like to develop and maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul as a full-time college student? This is a topic I share with every underclassman woman I mentor on my college campus. If you are a young woman on a visit to my on-campus house, you will likely be welcomed by the smell of bone broth simmering in the crock pot, roasted vegetables from the oven, or essential oils in the diffuser. I will offer you a cup of herbal tea or a warm bowl of soup and lend a listening ear to whatever is on your heart. My journey with a healthy lifestyle began when I hit rock bottom freshman year of college. That semester was Spring of 2020, and even before the events of the year, I was physically and mentally drained. What has now become an enjoyable part of my regular exercising routine – walking to and from class in hilly Eastern Kansas – made me want to cry as I stood at the bottom of the hill leading up to the academic buildings. I knew I had to do something to survive the anxiety, panic attacks and lack of energy, and so I began a journey of healing in mind, body, and soul. I started by speaking weekly to a counselor, who gave me many practical tips on dealing with emotions and anxiety. Life as a student is one of constantly being thrown new challenges and experiences and learning to process my thoughts and emotions has become a regular part of my daily life. Targeted journaling and emotional processing are regular tools that help me to re-wire my brain as I encounter the anxiety-provoking situations of daily life. After a year of working on my mental health, I began an overhaul of my nutrition. I cut out all processed and inflammatory foods to rebuild my gut from the ground up! This led me to find creative ways to make money and buy healthy food so that I did not have to use my school’s meal plan, which often made me feel sick. It also forced me to figure out ways to batch and meal prep my own food every week. This past summer, I did some hormonal testing and uncovered an autoimmune condition which has led me to dig deeper into nutrition. This deeper dive has prompted me to learn and experiment with new foods and where I source my food. I support a local farmer for meat and buy vegetables at the local farmers market when they are in season. I have learned how to make everything from scratch as well as some ancestral and traditional foods. Because of this, I now have a habit and disposition of learning as I cook new foods or learn some new skills for cultivating overall health and wellness. I would be remiss if I did not touch on the other healthy habits I have cultivated over the past several years of living at college: going to bed earlier than the vast majority of college students, stretching, strengthening and deep breathing exercises, as well as 30-60 minutes of daily meditation. I have become well-know on my small college campus for sharing these wellness practices and my view of integration in mind, body, and soul. I am passionate about sharing this life of wholeness with women who come to me to be nourished, to learn, and to grow in their own health journeys. This further fuels my desire to one day pursue becoming a Women’s Health and Wellness & Nutrition Coach!

It is generally believed and proven true that most college students go to bed past midnight, eat ice cream daily in the cafeteria, or survive on ramen noodles and rice. I have also seen classmates students struggle with mental health problems or eating disorders or undernourishment due to cafeteria food. While I have also faced these challenges, I have chosen to respond to them differently by making simple changes to my lifestyle. I do this by intentionally cultivating each area of wellness of mind, body, and soul on a regular basis. After being diagnosed with autoimmune Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis resulting in underactive thyroid this past summer, I realize that these healthy practices I have adopted are more important than ever to maintaining my overall health. The number one change I made to my lifestyle beginning freshman year was to go to bed early! While I have had both good and bad seasons in staying true to this habit, I generally am able to be in bed between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m., a tremendous feat when most of my classmates stay up late studying or partying. I also meal-prep my own food every week, choosing to take the extra time and money to cook whole, nutrient dense food to support healing my thyroid hormones. While having a kitchen helps, it is a huge challenge to cook every meal in advance while being a full-time student. While I do sacrifice money and time to meal prep, I choose to do so both to support my autoimmune healing journey and energy for being a good student through the week. One of the most important and overlooked parts of tending to one’s health is reducing stress and anxiety. There are many ways I do this. On top of getting enough sleep, I often journal to process my thoughts and emotions. Incorporate stretching, strengthening and deep breathing has been incredible to help release tension in my body so I can start my day off feeling free and energized. Additionally, I commit to one day a week of no homework so I can give myself a chance to rest and rejuvenize and spend time with those I love. I have found these small health practices absolutely necessary to keeping healthy, feeling energized, and being able to be present to my classes and to friends as an antidote to hormonal imbalance and my tendency towards anxiety. Because of these health and lifestyle changes, I have worked my way out of brain fog, tiredness, digestive distress and emotional instability. While it is a challenge to maintain all of these healthy habits, I know that by investing in my health, I am able to be a better student and a better friend.

What does it look like to develop and maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul as a full-time college student? This is something I share with every underclassman woman I mentor on my college campus. If you are a young woman on a visit to my on-campus house, you will likely be welcomed by the smell of bone broth simmering in the crock pot, roasted vegetables from the oven, or essential oils in the diffuser. I will offer you a cup of herbal tea or a warm bowl of soup and lend a listening ear to whatever is on your heart. My journey with a healthy lifestyle began when I hit rock bottom freshman year of college. That semester was Spring of 2020, and even before the events of the year, I was physically and mentally drained. What has now become an enjoyable part of my regular exercising routine – walking to and from class in hilly Eastern Kansas – made me want to cry as I stood at the bottom of the hill leading up to the academic buildings. I knew I had to do something to survive the anxiety, panic attacks and lack of energy, and so I began a journey of healing in mind, body, and soul. I started by speaking weekly to a counselor, who gave me many practical tips on dealing with emotions and anxiety. Life as a student is one of constantly being thrown new challenges and experiences and learning to process my thoughts and emotions has become a regular part of my daily life. Targeted journaling and emotional processing are regular tools that help me to re-wire my brain as I encounter the anxiety-provoking situations of daily life. After a year of working on my mental health, I began an overhaul of my nutrition. I cut out all processed and inflammatory foods to rebuild my gut from the ground up! This led me to find creative ways to make money and buy healthy food so that I did not have to use my school’s meal plan, which often made me feel sick. It also forced me to figure out ways to batch and meal prep my own food every week. This past summer, I did some hormonal testing and uncovered an autoimmune condition which has led me to dig deeper into nutrition. This deeper dive has prompted me to learn and experiment with new foods and where I source my food. I support a local farmer for meat and buy vegetables at the local farmers market when they are in season. I have learned how to make everything from scratch as well as some ancestral and traditional foods. Because of this, I now have a habit and disposition of learning as I cook new foods or learn some new skills for cultivating overall health and wellness. I would be remiss if I did not touch on the other healthy habits I have cultivated over the past several years of living at college: going to bed earlier than the vast majority of college students, stretching, strengthening and deep breathing exercises, as well as 30-60 minutes of daily meditation. I have become well-know on my small college campus for sharing these wellness practices and my view of integration in mind, body, and soul. I am passionate about sharing this life of wholeness with women who come to me to be nourished, to learn, and to grow in their own health journeys. This further fuels my desire to one day pursue becoming a Women’s Health and Wellness & Nutrition Coach!

“Healthy eating” is a common catchphrase these days and everyone has their own idea of what “healthy eating” looks like. In line with many nutritionists, I define “healthy eating” as eating what works for you and supports your body and lifestyle in this particular season of your life. This can (and should!) look different for different people, but there are some basic principles that hold true for everyone when it comes to eating healthy. It is said that you become what you eat. This is true on a physiological level: if you eat junk food your body will feel like trash; if you eat real whole foods, you will feel alive and nourished! What you eat tremendously affects your mental health, which is a huge challenge for college students with the stressful pace of classes, extracurriculars and social events every week. Not only does the quality of the food we eat matter, when and how we eat also affects our overall physiological and mental health. For example, blood sugar swings can be a cause of emotional and mental imbalances, yet they can easily be mitigated by simple healthy eating practices. Additionally, many women in college struggle with undereating and with body image issues. Eating healthy and making healthy choices around mealtimes and food can be one piece of the puzzle in a young college woman’s struggle to gain confidence in her body. One of the biggest ramifications of unhealthy eating habits is chronic illness. According to the CDC, sixty percent of Americans live with chronic disease. Autoimmune diseases are on the rise, as most of us now know one or more people struggling with some type of autoimmunity. I personally am dealing with multiple hormonal imbalances due to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is a condition where the thyroid gland attacks itself, and in my case has caused an underactive Thyroid. With this diagnosis, it is imperative that I turn to food as medicine. Remembering that I am what I eat, I have been eating the best foods possible to support my body on this healing journey. I have learned that what I eat greatly affects how I feel both physical and mentally. I can be prone to anxiety, which is often exacerbated by the stressful pace of college life. I notice that an edge is taken off of my anxiety when I avoid certain trigger foods and instead eat plenty of vegetables from the farmers market I visit each week as well as pasture-raised beef and organ meats from my local Missouri/Kansas farmer. Along with sourcing healthy foods, I have learned simple habits of when and where I eat which are slowly helping to stabilize my hormones. When I make sure I eat real, nutrient dense foods throughout the day, I feel nourished and alive! When I focus on supporting my body in a parasympathetic state, I feel calm and energized for my daily tasks of being a student. Healthy eating for me in this season of life looks like skipping the cafeteria and spending the extra money to buy food from a quality source. It means that I take extra time to meal-prep every week, and focus on eating three balanced meals a day in a stress-free mode. These healthy eating habits ultimately support my ability to be a focused and good student. The tips and tricks I am learning to eat healthy with an autoimmune condition while being a full-time student are also tools that I am using to prepare myself to one day fulfill my dream Women’s Health and Wellness Coach.