Why It Matters: Health Management
Your health impacts every aspect your life, so it’s important to ensure that you’re doing all you can to be healthy, especially when you’re in a high-stress situation like college. A good way to embark on the college experience is to conduct an inventory of your current lifestyle.
Assess where you are in managing your health.
Before we start this section, take a moment to take an inventory of your current lifestyle. The following activity will ask you some questions to help you determine how you’re doing. These answers are not recorded, so please answer honestly so you can get a true assessment of yourself.
Health Management Inventory
Your health impacts every aspect your life, so it is important to ensure that you are doing all you can to be healthy – especially when you are in a high stress situation like college. Living healthy can be difficult (and sometimes expensive), but the benefits of healthy living far outweigh the cost.
The following 16-question quiz will ask you some questions to help you take an inventory of your current lifestyle. For each line in the table below, think about how frequently you exhibit that behavior.
| OFTEN | SOMETIMES | RARELY | |
| I have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. | |||
| I am tired for no apparent reason. | |||
| I have very low motivation to complete even simple tasks. | |||
| I have difficulty sleeping or problems with oversleeping. | |||
| I choose a mix of nutritious foods at mealtime. | |||
| I watch the size of my portions and resist going back for additional servings. | |||
| I steer clear of vending machines and fast food. | |||
| I keep healthy snacks like fruit and vegetables on hand. | |||
| I fall asleep fairly quickly after getting into bed. | |||
| I exercise 20 to 30 minutes each day. | |||
| I go to bed and get up at about the same times each day. | |||
| I sleep 7 to 8 hours each night. | |||
| I feel tense and irritable. | |||
| I have fear and anxiety about the future. | |||
| I have trouble concentrating. | |||
| I have headaches, back pains, and stomach problems. |
Now look back over your answers. Do you often eat nutritiously and avoid vending machines and fast food? Do you typically sleep seven to eight hours each night, or do you often have trouble sleeping? Keep in mind that healthy eating is the base
of a healthy lifestyle, and that if you do not get enough sleep, you may find yourself without the energy you need to accomplish all of your responsibilities.
Are you often tense, tired, and angry, or have headaches or trouble concentrating? Some stress in life is pretty normal, and college is a high-stress environment. However, it is important to take care of your own mental health, so be sure to pay attention to how you’re doing. If you’re feeling stressed or depressed, you may want to consider talking to an on-campus counselor.
Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-collegesuccess/chapter/why-it-matters-health-management/
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