College Happenings

At college, it’s all too easy to slip into sloppy eating habits. Cafeteria food, convenience food, junk food – they feed the body, but do they really nourish? Is your brain getting what it needs to perform its best? Here are 3 nutrients that your brain will appreciate:

1. Most people know what the B complex vitamins do for the body, but not everyone is aware of just how much they do for the brain. Not only do B vitamins enhance brain function, such as memory and acuity, but they also affect mental health and mood.
2. Vitamin C is well-known for its antioxidant effects and its benefits to the immune system. However, there is also evidence that it has much to offer the brain as well, aiding in motivation, as well as other aspects of mental health and functioning.
3. Zinc can help keep your brain sharp and your thoughts focused. Deficiencies of this nutrient can result in mental confusion and depression.

Recent research indicates that getting nutrients through the foods you consume is better than popping supplements. As essential as these nutrients are, too much can do as much harm as too little, so if supplementing, use as directed and seek a health care professional’s advice for any questions.

The best way to reduce study time is to do the assignments. That’s where you use the concepts that are supposed to be mastered. While in high school, homework was almost always collected, often in college, the day-to-day assignments are not, making it very tempting to just let it slide, and focus on the stuff you’ve got to turn in or the work that is most important to the overall grade.

Keep up with the day-to-day assignments. Do the assignments not like you’re filling out a form, as quickly as possible so it can be crossed of the to-do list, but instead with the focus you need to master the material. That approach can significantly reduce how much time you actually have to study, because once you use a concept enough, it becomes yours, you own it.

The college course workload can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Getting the most out of your study time can help you to manage your course work more efficiently, which can help to reduce college stress. Here are 5 ways to increase what you get out of the study time you invest:

1. Try to schedule your most challenging studying for when you are most alert, rather than fighting your natural rhythms. You’ll accomplish more with less effort.
2. Collect what you need before you start – course materials, food, something to drink, etc. – so you don’t have the distraction of having to get up to get stuff.
3. Find your learning style, and capitalize on it. Some people are more visually oriented, reading works. Others need to be more actively engaged, such as through creating outlines, using computer software, or working with a focused study partner.
4. Build upon your knowledge daily, rather a lump sum sort of studying. This enhances the amount you’ll actually retain, you’ll be less likely have to restudy old materials in order to grasp the new.
5. Be firm with yourself and others. Put your full effort in while you are “on the clock” and you’ll get a lot more done than if you are answering the door, the phone, e-mail or instant messages.