Learning Challenge: A Favorite Health/Happiness Meme

As the end of the semester get closer, the stress only continues to rise. At this point in the year, I find myself longing for Christmas Break and forgetting about the things that can make me happy right here right now. It is important to stay positive and remember to keep your own mental health on your radar! A problem with college students is that we often forget to take care of ourselves. On top of eating, sleeping, showering, and exercising...we also need to take care of that valuable resource between our ears. Our mind is a powerful tool and simply doing things that make us happy can improve our mental health. For this learning challenge, I found the following meme:

(This photo came from an entire blog of cute puppy memes!)

For me, I absolutely love dogs. So, when I have had a bad week or receive a bad grade on a test, I call my friends who have pets and ask if I can come play with them. This might seem strange, but my friends are used to it. I also FaceTime my sweet pups back home sometimes! This is a simple way for me to relieve my stress and focus on something that always makes me happy, even if only for a few minutes. This might not be dogs for everyone (even though I don't understand how it isn't). But, everyone has something that makes them smile! Maybe it's a night of Netflix binging, baking a sweet treat, or taking a drive with the windows down. Whatever it is, make time for it in your day!

No matter how busy you are, you are never too busy to take care of yourself. Try a Health/Happiness Challenge!