Between barely making it through your mid-terms and finals being around the corner, the pressure is simmering on high this semester. Fortunately, you’ve mentally started crafting your pre-planned answers when your relatives swarm around you this Thanksgiving asking the status of your classes. Well, don’t fret and slowly walk away from the energy drinks. There’s hope around the corner!  We chatted with Dr. Lindsey Elmore, pharmacist and wellness expert, to share tips and healthy hacks to get you through your semester in one piece.

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Balancing a full schedule and a part-time job as a college student can have your stress level at its all-time high, how can students manage stress or anxiety on a daily basis?

While it may be tempting to pull all-night study sessions amped up on caffeine, or partying until dawn drinking, lack of sleep, caffeine, and alcohol are a terrible combination that can lead to anxiety and excessive stress.

Be sure to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night, because sleep deprivation can reduce brain function, and lead to fatigue, headaches, and weight loss or gain. As often as possible, head to bed at the same time and get up in the same time in the morning. Caffeine can lead to dehydration. When the body doesn’t have enough water, it can lead to confusion, dizziness, and tiredness. To reduce the risk of anxiety, instead of caffeinated beverages, drink plenty of water.

Alcohol has been shown to increase the risk of anxiety, and bad decisions made while drinking can lead to excessive stress. Limit alcohol consumption to 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. I love the old school match maker advice to always limit drinks to two while on dates to avoid risky behaviors that you may regret.

Overall though, that’s important to focus on and be aware of is your “self-care,” which in this case, is both taking care of yourself and supporting recovery. An important aspect of self-care though is to be conscious about who you are and your needs, as everyone is different.

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All-nighter study sessions + tight deadlines can cause intense pressure in college, what oils would you suggest when it comes to relaxing + unwinding to combat a stressful environment?

All-nighters are never ideal – but I’ve had to pull them myself, back when I was in school, and even sometimes now with work! Life can never be perfect, but obviously lack of sleep isn’t ideal but to minimize the effect – when I head to bed late (or even if at a normal time), I love to diffuse oils. There are some essential oils if diffused properly that can help and making a personal choice about which one to use will depend on how you deal with sleep etc. Some that I would suggest include lavender, which contains the chemical constituent linalool and has been shown to have sedative effects and improve sleep. Roman chamomile has been shown to improve sleep quality. Ylang ylang and valerian increase sleep duration1. Others include valerian, rue, or vetiver. Don’t have a diffuser? Make a bed mist by combining one part witch hazel and one part water with a few drops of your favorite bedtime oils. Shake well and spray sheets before heading to bed.

College life can include increased snacking and stress eating, how can students pull back on the midnight cravings + intense sugar intake?

The easiest way to avoid eating late at night is to head to bed early. But if that is not possible, be proactive to cut down on sugar. Bring nutrient-dense snacks like nuts or dried fruits with you to class. Snacks like hummus and vegetables, granola, and fruit are high in fiber and can help you feel full all day long. Water too can help you stay fuller, longer, and help you avoid binge eating. College is the perfect time to learn your way around the kitchen. Try cooking your favorite foods, learn family recipes, and be creative.

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What supplements are helpful to incorporate into a student’s fast-paced lifestyle?

DIgestive enzymes are a great way to supplement, especially when the diet gets off track for a few days. Digestive enzymes help unlock nutrition from food and ensures that you have what you need for the body to function effectively. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a master antioxidant, and can help detoxify, especially after a night of drinking. Lastly, a multivitamin is a baseline supplement that provides the vitamins and minerals you need for body processes to work with ease.

Instagram:@lindseyelmore 
Lindsey Elmore, PharmD, BCPS
www.lindseyelmore.com

1 S. Kasper, M. Gastpar, W. E. Müller et al., “Efficacy and safety of silexan, a new, orally administered
lavender oil preparation, in subthreshold anxiety disorder—evidence from clinical trials,” Wiener
Medizinische Wochenschrift, vol. 160, no. 21-22, pp. 547–556, 2010. View at Publisher · View at Google
Scholar · View at Scopus

S. Kasper, M. Gastpar, W. E. Müller et al., “Silexan, an orally administered Lavandula oil preparation, is
effective in the treatment of 'subsyndromal' anxiety disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial,” International Clinical Psychopharmacology, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 277–287, 2010. View atPublisher · View at Google Scholar · View at Scopus

Abdullahzadeh M, Matourypour P, Naji SA. Investigation effect of oral chamomilla on sleep quality in
elderly people in Isfahan: A randomized control trial. Journal of Education and Health Promotion.
2017;6:53. doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_109_15.
Komori T, Matsumoto T, Motomura E , Shiroyama T . The sleep-enhancing effect of valerian inhalation
and sleep-shortening effect of lemon inhalation. Chem Senses. 2006 Oct;31(8):731-7. Epub 2006 Jul 20.

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Don’t you absolutely hate when your parents get on you about little things?! It’s like they’re trying to prevent you from living your best life! You feel like they are breathing down your neck and don’t give you any room to enjoy your youth. Well we’re here to give you some tips on how to deal with overly strict parents.

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Keep it 100| Show your parents that you are serious about having more freedom. Sit down with them and discuss the rules that are in place and why you feel like they are unrealistic. Along with that, give them suggestions for appropriate punishments and reward system.

Relax| When your parents come down hard on you, don’t use your energy to yell and argue back. It will make them see you as immature and further their decision to remain as strict as possible.

Help me, help me! | Sometimes you may need to lean on other family members for help. For example, your aunts and uncles are great people to talk to about your parents’ strict ways since they grew up with them.

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Tia Banks, Content Editor

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We all have that one friend who does the absolute most! We love them to death but sometimes their personality is EXTRA. You ever find yourself rolling your eyes whenever they’re around? Yeah, it’s time to check this diva.

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Remain Unbothered -When your friend is having a diva moment don’t exhaust your energy by feeding into it. They’re probably telling you a story with lots of embellishments in order to get more attention.

No More Drama -We love hanging out a spilling tea with friends. However, we are going to have to cut this friend off from tea spillage. Drama only adds to our diva friend’s over the top personality. This is a fire you don’t want to add fuel to.

Keep Calm and Carry On –Everyone has their issues where they need a friend to vent to. When your diva friend contacts you for support, make sure you remain calm. No need to add in any “Oh no she didn’t” and “Girl! Are you serious?!”. Just give her the advice she’s looking for.

Small Doses- You may need to cut back on some of the time you spend with her all together. It’s easier to handle personalities like that in small doses. You care for her the same, but you do so from a distance.

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-Tia Banks, Content Editor

From social media influencers to getting an inside peek of celeb lifestyles, it’s easy to start playing the comparison game.  Being a teen oftentimes invites social pressures that can have you feeling out of place, isolated + constantly battling with body image. It can be difficult not to compare yourself to others when perfection is portrayed every time you scroll on Instagram. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five teens ages 13-18, have or will have, a serious mental illness.

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Knowledge is power + it’s important to learn more about yourself and how you perceive your body. We spoke with Jamie Manwaring, PhD, Primary Therapist from the Eating Recovery Center in Denver to give us additional insight on the impact of eating disorders and self-esteem.

Come join us for body talk!

With social media being so prevalent throughout teenage years, how has that affected the rate of eating disorders + depression of teens?

Many studies have recently shown strong correlations among the amount of social media used by teenagers, and their resulting body image dissatisfaction, internalization of the thin ideal, and symptoms of depression. We do not yet know if this has impacted the prevalence of eating or depressive disorders in teenagers, but social media can certainly provide unhelpful messages and triggers to teenagers at risk for these disorders, including a greater ability to compare to peers.

An eating disorder can lead to suicide or suicidal thoughts, how does struggling with body image create a sense of hopelessness?

We don’t know the exact mechanisms by which poor body image can lead to hopelessness, but we do know that body dissatisfaction predicts depression for girls, but not for boys (Bearman & Stice, 2008), although the relationship between poor body image and low self-esteem is similar for both genders (Davison & McCabe, 2006). For those who are unhappy with their bodies, this can create hopelessness due to being in your body all the time, and thus struggling to separate themselves from this component of their unhappiness.

Davison TE, McCabe MP.J Soc Psychol. 2006 Feb; 146(1):15-30. Adolescent body image and psychosocial functioning.
Bearman SK, Stice E. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2008 Nov; 36(8):1251-63. Testing a gender additive model: the role of body image in adolescent depression.

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Being a teen and discovering your personality can be an intense emotional roller coaster, how can friends + family detect between teen moods and a potential mental illness?

It is normal and natural that teenagers want to gain their independence and often react harshly to their parents to achieve this outcome. This, in addition to their hormonal changes, can make it difficult to distinguish what is normal versus what deserves intervention. Given that teenagers typically want to spend time with friends and engage in extracurricular activities outside of the home, a change in this desire for a teenager may signal something more is going on for them than just a bad day. In general, look for the severity of their symptoms, the duration of their symptoms (a deterioration in mood that lasts two weeks or longer may indicate depression versus a bad mood), and how many domains their symptoms impact (e.g., at home, in school, and with friends). Finally, parents should always trust their intuition and talk to their teenager’s medical providers and teachers to obtain a better understanding of how the teenager is functioning.

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Struggling with an eating disorder? Never be ashamed to reach out for help within a supportive community. Learn more here:

Eating Recovery Center

Ever caught yourself drifting away to the sweetest daydream starring the one guy who makes your entire heart light up? Yep, we’ve all been there and Kären McCormick has the perfect song to be the background to your love-filled daydreams!

Country/pop singer-songwriter Kären McCormick recently released her sophomore single, “We Were on Fire” on August 31st and we cannot stop pressing repeat! The sweet melody matched with cool but captivating lyrics will take you on a  journey from summer into fall. It simply unlocks the magic of beautiful memories of falling for your one true love.

Produced and mixed by Lucas Hathaway, the single was recorded at the famous Treasure Isle studio in Nashville, TN. The track was written solely by McCormick and encompasses a contemporary country/pop sound similar to Kelsea Ballerini and Danielle Bradbery, among others.

McCormick explains, “I wanted to write a song that embodied a relationship that is so happy and so good, everyone wishes they could have it. It’s one of the happiest songs I’ve ever written, and that in itself makes me so happy as a writer.”

Listen NOW: Soundcloud

Download HERE on iTunes: “We Were On Fire”

Follow more of Kären McCormick’s music here!

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Your parents may think you’re overreacting, but what do they know? There’s a possibility that your teacher is out to make your semester miserable. Ugh! We can’t pinpoint why but we can help you through it with these 3 survival tips:

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Ask Around – Be observant of your teacher’s behavior and ask a classmate if they feel the same way. If they do, then you won’t be going through this semester alone!

Focus- Even when your teacher is in full savage mode, remain focused. Now is not the time to become the class clown to lighten the mood. Save it for your lunch period.

Talk to Them-This is the route for the bold and mature crowd. Speaking directly to a teacher in a respectful manner is a way to face the problem head on. Just remember this is not your peer so you mustn’t speak to them like one.

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-Tia Banks, Content Editor

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With you barely finding where your classes are located and juggling your new teachers, the last task you want to do is exercise. We get it.  Working out can take tons of self pep talks. But it can also de-stress you and give you an outlet from that research paper your professor assigned the first week of school. See how to stick with your work out and not walk out!

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Not Your Mom’s Step Aerobics-There are many different types of dance workouts that you can try like Zumba and Wii Fit or Sports.

Playlist GOLD!-If you want to do a regular workout, you should have those songs that can pump you so you can power through your fitness routine.

Get Techy – Try workout apps that can help you exercise and track your food + water intake like MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, Calorie Counter, and Weight Loss Fitness by Verv.

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-Teen writer, A’yanna Rouse

Ugh! It’s that time of the month again and you’re dreading the week to come. PMS will have you angry one minute, sad the next, laughing after that, then back to shedding tears. It’s emotional AF. What’s a girl to do? Here are some tips on how to handle the madness!

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Break A Sweat -Any kind of activity that increases your heart rate will be a huge help in improving your mood. Take at least 30 minutes out of your day to dance it out or try a yoga class.

Cravings? Although your body wants to eat the whole container of chocolate, opt for one piece to satisfy the craving. Then, grab a piece of fruit. It still has the sweetness you’re looking for but obviously a better option.

De-stress With The Squad-No one gets it like the girls who are going through it too. When you’re feeling super emotional, invite your girls over for a movie day. Get some advice from them on how they handle PMS.

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-Tia B., Content Editor

Pulling, tugging, yanking. Nope, we’re not describing a new dance challenge but how you constantly feel when you wear that new dress or cute off-the-shoulder top. Fashion can be a girl’s best friend but sometimes once the clothes come out of the bag + on you, it doesn’t feel or look like the perfect match. Before you blame the store lighting or the unrealistic mannequin sizes, check out these 4 tips that will never have your look falling flat again:

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Umm Different Size?- Okay, we get that you can squeeze into a smaller size but the only problem is that you can’t exhale. When you’re shopping shake any beauty standards + sizes out of your head and simply go for a fit that is comfortable to you. Even if it’s a larger size than you’re used to buying, you’ll feel + look more comfy. And the same rule applies if you need to go for a smaller fit too!

Underneath It All- Just like the chic condos you see downtown, the outside structure wouldn’t look so glamorous if they didn’t have a good foundation. And yes, we’re talking about the magic of an amazing bra when it comes to your foundation. Not only will you see a major improvement in how your clothes fit but you can retire the “tug + pull” move you sneak to readjust your bra around campus. Need some guidance of where you can snag the perfect one? We have you covered! True & Co. will give you fit, comfort + confidence all wrapped into one. A TRUE-ly amazing bra can seriously change your entire life. Trust us now + thank us later!

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Trend Overload!- We completely get that there’s a brand new trend every time you scroll on Instagram or hit play on YouTube BUT that doesn’t mean you have to wear them all. The beauty about style is that you have key pieces that are your staples which anchors your look. After finding pieces you absolutely love + that represents you then you can filter what trends work well for you. Never feel pressured to rock something that doesn’t help tell your personal fashion story.

Kick Up The Confidence- And last but not least is owning + slaying every piece you’re wearing. Many times your outfit looks great and the only piece that’s keeping it from being runway-worthy is you second guessing yourself. Word of advice: Get out of your head and step into who you are. Remember, you’re always the cool girl in the room simply because you create the environment + does not let the environment create you.

So rock on, Rockstar, rock on.

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Going off to college to be around unfamiliar faces can be nerve racking. Doing it as an introvert can seem impossible. But don’t fret because even the most introverted person can make a friend with these 3 tips below!

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Love For The Clubs! Joining clubs is the easiest way to make new friends during your first semester on campus. You’ll be spending a good amount of time around people with the same interests as you while working together to achieve a common goal

Extra Study Sessions! When there is a huge exam coming up, professors will usually have the teaching assistant lead an extra study session. Go! Even if you feel confident about all the material, a quick review never hurts. Plus, you’ll get a chance to mingle in a smaller setting with other people from your major.

Come + Talk To Me! – If you’re still super nervous, it’s okay. Let people come to you first. Quick tip: Wear something eye-catching like a dope pair of sneakers so people will be inclined to approach you and strike up a conversation about them!

So don’t fret; you’re not the only one!

–Tia B. , Content Editor