Taking a Mental Health Day

College life can be very stressful at times, but I try to manage my stress by taking a day to unwind. This Sunday, I took the day to relax by going to Whole Foods for lunch and reading books and magazines at Borders. I get pretty stressed around mid term time, since my classes just happen to have all their mid term exams in the same week! I just finished a huge wave of exams, so I'm not too stressed right now. I studied a bit Saturday afternoon, so I had plenty of time on Sunday to NOT think about school work.

To manage stress, it's important to take a mental health day and do something that you enjoy. If you are too busy to take a whole day off, find at least a couple of hours to totally unwind. Try going to sleep early and waking up earlier to find time to take a leisurely stroll through the park or neighborhood, sitting in your favorite cafe, or curling up with a good book and a cup of tea. Whatever suits you.

Sunday morning, I woke up early and made myself a mug of coffee, which I sipped in bed, just sitting there and waking up slowly. Then I went to the gym and had a nice workout, making sure I stretched my muscles and doing a little yoga. I took the bus to Whole Foods and made myself a delicious salad from the salad bar. It was a little pricey, but worth it. I spend way too much money eating out, and most of it is so unhealthy. The salad was delicious, and at the same time, nutritious and didn't weigh me down, so I think it was well worth the money.

I topped a bed of mixed greens with edamame, roasted sweet potato, corn, red quinoa, raw beets, a "detox salad" thing that had a mix of veggies, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I ate it with chopsticks because they ran out of forks! I don't recommend this, it was hard to pick up all the little pieces of edamame.

I also bought some groceries that I used in the wrap recipe from yesterday. Freaking expensive, I tell you. Organic produce is tasty, but when you're a poor student, it's not the most practical to buy organic. I'll stick to conventional, next time, and be more price savvy. It was a splurge (spent almost $40), and I didn't even buy that much! Oh well ;)

I've been experimenting with making chia pudding, and I'll have a pumpkin chia pudding recipe posted soon!