Introduction with Student Profile

13Wellness

IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL EXPLORE

The importance of managing stress

Warning signs of depression

The positive effects of good nutrition and exercise on your mind and body

Strategies for better nutrition and weight management

The many options you have for contraception and safer sex

The realities of alcohol use on campus

The consequences of abusing alcohol and tobacco

Once I moved out on my own, I felt like a kid in a candy store. All the foods that I wasn’t allowed to eat at my parents’ house were now all that I was eating.

Dalton Eidem, 19

Music Industry major

California State University, Chico

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Dalton Eidem was born and raised in Paradise, California, a small town outside of Chico. Music has always been a huge part of his life. “My childhood was largely impacted by music,” he says. “At age four, I began playing piano, and at age thirteen I taught myself to play guitar,” he says. It was only natural that Dalton chose a school with a reputable music department. It didn’t hurt that California State University, Chico was close to friends and family and enabled him to continue playing with his progressive metal band.

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Even though Dalton attends school close to home, he moved out of his parents’ house to be closer to campus. That setup works well with his exercise regime of walking to and from school every day, but it was initially hard to establish good eating habits outside the structure of home. He explains: “Once I moved out on my own, I felt like a kid in a candy store. All the foods that I wasn’t allowed to eat at my parents’ house were now all that I was eating: Hot Pockets, countless bags of chips, and various other processed foods that can’t possibly be good for you. Also, my fast-food intake increased dramatically. With money being tight and fast food being, well, fast and cheap, I found myself eating pizza and cheeseburgers multiple times a week. And with no one there to regulate me, my eating habits were out of control. After my first year, I was able to move out of the dorms and into an apartment, where home-cooked meals became a regular thing, and going to a restaurant became a special occasion.” These days Dalton walks to school every day. “It takes more time as opposed to riding the bus or a bike,” he says, “but I find that the walk to and from school leaves me feeling good and awake for the rest of the day.”

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Dalton Eidem

An unfortunate outcome of Dalton’s first year of school was that he started to smoke cigarettes. “The biggest cause for me to start smoking when I began college was influences from friends and other residents of the dorms,” he says. “It began as a social thing, but I quickly became addicted and not just due to the effect it had on my body, but the social aspect of it as well. I met many people that I never would have talked to, just by bumming the occasional cigarette whenever I ran out. I still have not quit smoking after more than a year. However, I am trying to quit, and I’m taking the quitting process in stride.”

Dalton’s “take-it-in-stride” attitude carries over to his outlook on stress. He says, “College as a whole is very stressful in numerous ways, whether it’s because you’re stressed about grades or because you have a roommate that you just can’t deal with. I find that the best way to deal with stress is to try not to worry about it too much. There is no point focusing on the past. All you can do is look to the future and make sure you know what you have to do in order to succeed. Stress will come and go, and the best thing you can do is not let it take you over.”

After college Dalton hopes to make it big with his band, but should that dream not pan out he’ll happily settle for a job somewhere in the music business. His advice to first-year students: “It’s easy to let yourself fall into bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, and doing drugs. Everyone feels a pull in one direction or another at some point. However, it’s important to remember exactly what it is you’re doing and what the consequences are. I’ve witnessed countless college careers flushed down the drain just because somebody got a bit too drunk one night, or a bit too high. Be smart about what you do and don’t fall prey to the party life in college.”


College is a great time to explore. It’s an opportunity to exercise your mind and expand your horizons. Unfortunately, for too many students, including Dalton, it becomes an opportunity to stop exercising their bodies and begin expanding their waistlines! Because the college environment might be new to you, you could forget to take care of yourself.

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Many students can handle the transition to college easily, using various coping mechanisms. Others drink too much or smoke too much. Some overeat or develop an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia. Some become so stressed that their anxiety overwhelms them. Some ignore their sexual health and then have to deal with a sexually transmitted infection or an unplanned pregnancy.

wellness A catchall term for taking care of your mind, body, and spirit. It includes keeping fit, making healthy choices, achieving balance, and reducing stress in positive ways.

This chapter explores the topic of wellness, which is a catchall term for taking care of your mind, body, and spirit. Wellness means making healthy choices and achieving balance. It includes reducing stress in positive ways, keeping fit, maintaining good sexual health, and taking a sensible approach to alcohol and other drugs.