Yesterday, we shared the 7th post in our series on successful students: how to break down projects and large goals into smaller, specific, and achievable tasks. Today, we focus on a more intangible element of success. When it comes to student success, well-being is king. If students do not feel healthy, energized, confident, and content, the basic tasks of life as a teenager or college student are difficult to manage. There is no doubt that teens and college students are frequently misguided in their choices and priorities. Parents are quick to point to habits like over or under-sleeping, over and under-eating, lack of exercise, too much television or internet time, and too much partying as the source of student troubles. These parents are not wrong in taking note of these unproductive habits, but actually the habits are the symptoms, not the actual disease.

Looking at the number of students that are bored, disengaged, and purposeless, one can easily see the epidemic of of depression, alienation, anxiety, and loneliness. The disease of disengagement and the childish resistance to routine and structure is destroying the lives of many in their teens and twenties and limiting the joy and productivity of many more.

Disengagement, boredom, and lack of purpose destroy health and well-being

Some of this unease comes automatically with the vulnerability of the years between childhood and adulthood. But outside of the normal range of ups and downs, the majority students in their teens and twenties should have little trouble maintaining consistent healthy, happy, and productive mind-states. As with time management, fruitful routines for health and happiness do not require a massive overhaul or outrageous efforts. Rather, well-being comes mostly from awareness and a structure to support the habits that lead to positive feeling.

Successful students are honest with themselves and keep their eyes on what is most important. Nothing supports health and achievement like a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis. Changing habits so as to get a minimum of 7 hours sleep per night will transform your mood, energy, and attention. Further, settling on a consistent bedtime and wake-up time gives the body and mind a reliable and familiar pattern that leads to easier and deeper sleep. If you need more, then a late afternoon power nap of 20-45 minutes should do the trick.

Sleep, consistent moderate exercise, and healthy eating habits lead to positive well-being

Because no two students are alike, it is difficult to speak of rules of thumb about other habits and routines that lead to well-being, but here are some of the most crucial elements that my clients have focused upon. First, exercise. Students need not workout 7 days per week for 2 hours to stay healthy and energized. Two or three 30 minute sessions of exercise are a good starting point for most. One need not do more than go for a walk in the neighborhood or at a local park to stay in a decent zone of health and energy. If you are looking for more fitness and intensity, then definitely work that habit into your weekly routine. But by no means is that a required starting point.

Second, are eating habits. Most teens and college students eat too much unhealthy food, though there are also those that do not eat enough. Three solid, balanced meals per day plus a snack is a good starting point for any adolescent or young adult. If you require more calories to maintain health and energy, then feel free to add on. Most will feel more energized by eating more selectively and less often.

Third, are stress relief outlets. Most teenagers and college students try to relieve stress with television and internet usage. The anxiety and resistance to schoolwork and other tasks that motivates such behaviors is worth paying closer attention to. Nearly every student in America would benefit from an extra half hour per day of quiet time to let down.

Exercise is a great stress reliever, but so is a session of meditation, a quiet session of food prep and cooking, time in concentrative practice of a musical instrument, a visit to nature, or time spent on reading for pleasure. Prayer works well as a stress reliever too. What are the outlets for stress relief in your life or the life of your teen or college student? If the answer is time with friends, partying, or playing video-games, then you are probably confusing stress relief with distraction and social engagement.

Find time for favorite activities and pursuits and transform the week

Social engagement and stimulation is critical as well. You must have friends and engaging pursuits in your life or you will not be happy and productive. It is quite difficult to complete the less interesting obligations in your life if you do not have plenty of time for your interests and healthy relationships. Most students actually underestimate how important these life elements are. In fact, if one were to survey the time spent with friends outside of the typical cheap laughs and bull-crap sessions, one would find that most high school and college students do not spend much time each week on the deeper human interaction that is so crucial for life satisfaction.

Further, most students over-prioritize less satisfying pursuits like television, video-games, shopping, and school clubs relative to truly fulfilling interests. The activities that engage the mind and spirit are must-haves for teens and college students. There is significant effort each week to be spent in completion of tasks that are generated by parents, teachers, and bosses. As humans, we need time to work on the pursuits that are most important to us, even if the time is limited. This is the freedom and engagement that most students are looking for when chasing the distractions of television, video-games, and other cheap thrills.

An hour or two spent building a new skill, learning about a favorite subject outside of school, or engaged in spiritual pursuits like service and religious activities, or on the arts can change the course of a week. When done consistently, these pursuits dramatically enrich our lives and make the less interesting work more palatable.

Successful students know themselves well and build in the time for rest, healthy meals, stress relief, social engagement, and fulfilling pursuits. By focusing consistent time spent in pursuit of well-being, these students find it easy to shift gears to obligations like schoolwork, jobs, and chores. There is a lesson here: The better you feel, the easier it is to be active and productive. The worse you feel, the harder it is to complete even the bare minimum. Well-being leads to success and successful students put the appropriate effort in maintaining consistent health and happiness.