High School Athlete to Non-Athlete College Student

Starting college can be overwhelming, you’re in a new place and have a different environment to navigate. As a former high school athlete, and someone who grew up playing sports, the transition from having sports routines and practice everyday, to a schedule full of college classes and extracurriculars, can be difficult. In this blog I will share some things that I did to make the transition easier, in hopes that these tips can help you as well.

  1. Maintain a routine

    Whether you are a runner, a swimmer, or played in any type of individual or team sport, continuing to workout is a great way to cope with stress, to maintain physical and mental health, and to create a sense of routine and habit in your day. Finding a workout that is similar to the training you may have done in high school is a great way to continue to use those same muscles and improve on your skills.

  2. Set goals

    Setting goals for yourself is a great way to maintain a competitive spirit and push yourself. Though you may not have a coach who provides you with a training plan, or a game to prepare for, setting short-term and long-term goals for yourself is a great way to see growth. For example, I like to set a goal every few weeks for the amount of weight I can lift at the gym.

  3. Join an intramural Team 

    ASU has intramural teams every semester for a variety of sports including soccer, flag football, volleyball, soccer, and even real life Battleship in the SDFC pool. Joining an intramural team is a great way to develop friendships and continue playing a sport in a friendly, competitive environment.

  4. Eat nutritious foods 

    The Dining Hall has a range of different foods, from pizza, burgers and fries, to sandwiches, salads and desserts. Eating nutritious foods will give you energy for your day, and is important for maintaining health. It can be hard seeing your body change in college, it is important to remember that muscle and weight change are completely normal, and it is okay for your body to look different than it has in the past. Incorporate healthy practices in your life to maintain a healthy, growing body.

  5. Discover new hobbies

    Lastly, it is important to remember that your identity is not defined by the sport you play. College is a great time to explore new interests you may not have had time for, or try new sports. ASU offers many different clubs and programs so that you can find a community of people that have the similar interests to you.

Missing playing a sport or being on a team is completely normal, especially after competitively playing for many years, the sudden free time and lack of commitments may be difficult to navigate. Try these tips to support you in the transition.

Good luck and you got this!

 

Diya Murthy
Sophomore, Political Science and Philosophy
 

 

 

Feeling Stressed? Here Are Some Useful Tips to Help De-stress.

One semester down and one more to go for this school year. We are halfway through and you may be feeling a little stressed. With a new year comes new life stressors, here are some useful tips to help regulate and de-stress.

  • Getting active and going outside

    Being in nature and getting fresh air is beneficial for us. Additionally, being active throughout the day can help decrease our stress levels and help us think more clearly (Mayo Clinic, 2021). There are a multitude of ways for us to get active, including walking, yoga, biking, running, stretching, hiking, swimming and more.

  • Journaling

    Journaling is a helpful tool to reflect on feelings and stressors you experienced throughout the day (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Having prompts to write about for journaling is useful. Try journaling about what you are grateful for, things you want to work on in the future, a “to-do” list, or creating a list of positive affirmations.

  • Try to connect with friends and family more

    Life can be hectic with school and work, but connecting with others is an important well-being strategy. As humans, we tend to isolate ourselves when we feel stressed but we need to do the opposite. Finding time to connect with friends and family can reduce stress levels and allows an opportunity to discuss personal challenges with others (Mayo Clinic, 2021).  Remember, genuine conversations and laughter are essential for our overall well-being and stress levels (Mayo Clinic, 2021). 

  • Listen to music or a podcast

    This allows us to free our minds, boost our mood and helps us focus on something else, rather than our stress (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Listening to a mental health podcast can provide a different perspective or help you identify strategies to incorporate into your own life.

  • Get enough sleep every night

    As college students, we tend to not get the appropriate amount of sleep every night. We may be staying up and studying, socializing, playing video games and more. Try to aim towards the goal of getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Not only is getting the right amount of sleep needed but the quality of sleep is also important. Some tips for getting better sleep include having tea before bed, not using your phone right before bed time, turning all the lights off, spraying lavender essential oils throughout the bedroom, and more. 

    Everyone deals with stress in one way or another and using the tips provided above can help decrease the amount of stress you feel in your everyday life. Try adding in some of these tips and see how they work for you and your busy lifestyle. 

  • Easy Ways To Stay Organized and Productive

    With the new year already here, it’s time to make some goals to start off the semester on the right foot. Every year people start their goals out strong and then they start to dissipate as the year goes by. Here are some easy ways for you to stay organized and productive throughout the year to help you reach your goals.

    1. Write your goals down 

      This can be any kind of goal, but keep it realistic. The more realistic your goals are, the more likely you are to accomplish them. The next thing to remember about writing your goals is the timeframe you give yourself to complete them (Sennett, 2022). For example, let’s say you want to learn three new recipes to add into your daily routine. Give yourself the time to be able to do this and set a goal for yourself. “I am going to learn this new recipe by March 30th, 2023.” Giving yourself an appropriate time frame to complete a task gives you more availability in your schedule to do so and increases accountability (Sennett, 2022). Be sure to track your progress as you go and celebrate accomplishments as you reach your goal.

    2. Try to use a calendar or create a to-do list 

      Making sure everything you need to do is written down, in one place, is important (Sennett, 2022). Creating daily or weekly to-do lists of chores, homework, or work is easy to do and keep track of. You can create your to-do list on the notes app of your phone so you always have it on you and can check off the tasks as you go. Using a calendar to track due dates can help you see what your whole month looks like, to assist with prioritization of tasks.

    3. Have the right mindset by decluttering a space 

      Working in an environment that is messy and dirty is distracting when you’re trying to be productive (Sennett, 2022). Decluttering a space keeps it clean and organized so you can find all your items. Motivation and productivity levels will be higher in a clean space as well (Sennett, 2022). It is easy to declutter, if you do a little bit at a time. For example, one day you clean off your bathroom counter, then the next day you clean the counter and mirrors. Adding tiny cleaning habits into your routine can create a clean environment for you to increase your work efficiently. 

      Set a positive mindset for your goals and keep them realistic so you can succeed. Make this the year that you accomplish and maintain your goals to increase your overall well-being. Staying organized and productive can be hard when we are always so busy in our lives, try these simple strategies to stay organized and productive.

     

    Sennett, P. (2022, January 24). 11 tips for organization and Productivity. Emerging Leaders. Retrieved from https://www.rochester.edu/emerging-leaders/11-tips-for-organization-and…;

    Leah Kahldon, Senior, Psychology
     

    Offering Yourself Kindness | Educational Outreach and Student Services

         What if I told you ‘no pain, no gain’ is a myth? Or at least in the way you think about it. In a world where we’re told to do everything, all at once, the right way, the first time, we often find ourselves comparing where we are, with where we want to be. If you just related to that sentence, congratulations, you’re human. 

         College students experience a different type of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), where in four years, we are trying to maximize our education, opportunities, experience, and figuring out who the we are. You ask yourself, “How do I get job experience”, “I wish I went to spin class last night”, “My resume is not as full as my roommate’s”, “Do I even like my major”, “I am doing it all, but should I be doing more? Can I do more”? These are the existential questions of a college student at 2 A.M. And when there are questions, there is a scientist doing research!

         Dr. Kristin Neff, a researcher at UT Austin is an education scientist studying how self compassion affects productivity and success. The 30 second summary: being kind to yourself in failure could make you more successful! Dr. Neff has three components of compassion that could change the game.

    1. Mindfulness

         Those long days and sleepless nights, where we have stress in the here- n’-now with future oriented anxieties. Yeah, that’s the cortisol cocktail. When we experience stress it impacts us and our well-being in so many areas- body, mind, and spirit. This coupled with comparison, you are feeding your vices and impacting your overall success. 

         Dr. Neff defines mindfulness as an opportunity to experience one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them (2003). Mindfulness is a life skill that allows you to be aware of what is occurring in the moment and what that might mean for you. In knowing yourself better, you are able to build skills to overcome stress. 

    1. Self kindness

         Have you ever had a moment where you locked your keys in the car and said some explicative, followed by something along the lines of “I’m the dumbest person in the world”? That is a form of self-criticism and honestly, we do this to ourselves a lot. When we experience an overwhelming moment, our brain and body are listening. This impacts your success.

         Dr. Neff recommends developing kindness where you respond to yourself with curiosity and understanding. Much like talking to a friend, they wouldn’t say you have the attention span of a goldfish for leaving your keys in the car. They might say something like, “You have been really stressed lately”, “This one event doesn’t define you”, or even “I know that felt frustrating for you. How can I help you right now”? When you are able to explore your situation with self kindness, you are more likely to support yourself in solving problems.

    1. Human connectedness

         Humanity. No matter how hard you look at it, you are within the realm of your own possibility- and that is your representation of ‘perfect’. Of course it would be nice to have the perfect internship, the ideal grades, and the most impressive resume in the pile- that’s what college wants to instill, academic validation. However, realistic expectations of yourself and next steps might serve you better in the long run.

         This isn’t to say ‘don’t hold yourself accountable’. It is quite the opposite actually. It is holding yourself accountable when you are in the moments where you are struggling; to give yourself grace and to accept your humanness. Being human is not about perfection, although we strive for self betterment every day. It is accepting yourself in the places you are. Sometimes we aren’t happy when we look at where we are and where we want to be. Those moments aren’t times for harshness and judgment, they are mile markers of how far you have come and where you are going. 

         If you are currently sitting here wondering where you fall on your self compassion journey, Dr. Neff created a quiz for you to see where you are. (Self Compassion Quiz) If there is one thing that you walk away with, your success is not always dictated by how much you are doing, but it could be based on how you celebrate yourself. 

    I hope you choose compassion when you strive for self improvement. With admiration,
    Emily Hinsberger, 2nd Year Graduate Student, Masters of Counseling

     

    Neff, K. D. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and identity, 2(3), 223-250.
     

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