Taking Care of Yourself

These last two weeks have been a rollercoaster ride for me. I started my midterms, and I am still in the process of completing them. Coming from a small liberal arts college, I didn’t know what to expect for midterm season at such a large school. It’s definitely been challenging to adjust to the testing style at Yonsei University. For starters, I had to write a group essay—something I have never done before. It requires a great amount of trust in your team members, and I still don’t know how well it went. Every class requires either an essay or an in-class exam. However, my Korean midterm had five components—also something I was not used to back at home.

While staying up late nights to finish these tasks and preparing for my exams, I caught a cold. It didn’t happen once but twice! I feel like many people here tend to disregard their health during midterm season. I know I didn’t get the necessary sleep or food. Sleeping at 5AM and eating one meal a day seemed normal. No wonder my body couldn’t keep me healthy.

If you are studying abroad or planning to do so, I suggest anticipating these rough times. It’s better to wake up early and finish work in the morning than to stay up late. It deteriorates your health. I know I am still suffering from it as I write this blog post. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing while studying abroad. If you don’t, you will end up losing more time. Here are some tips to maintain your health while abroad:

First, eat a variety of different foods. Don’t simply stick with the same meals every day. You won’t receive the necessary nutrition to keep your body healthy.

Second, sleep early. You may tell yourself that getting 8 hours of sleep in enough. However, I believe your body has an internal clock that helps it run better during certain parts of the day. To mess up your sleep schedule for a few more hours of work at night can come back to haunt you.

Third, take vitamin supplements. You never know what type of vitamins go into the food you consume in a different country. You may lack some basic nutrition. I suggest buying some from your home country and taking them while you are abroad.

Fourth, learn to say “no.” Study abroad is a great time to engage in all sorts of different activities with friends who are eager to do them. Sometimes, however, it is best to evaluate your circumstances and health. It is okay to say “no, maybe next time.” Don’t feel pressured to do everything because this can cause a strain on your body.

These are the four tips I’ve come up with. Although I need to do a better job taking this advice, I hope this will help all of you!

Until next time!