Hostel life is a life full of freedom. There is no parental interference and you don’t have to go through an episode of chastisement when you make a simple mistake and no one questioning your whereabouts and giving you a deadline to be back home. It can’t get any better unless your health starts to deteriorate because of all that junk food, late night parties and unhygienic habits. This is the downside of all that freedom you get in a hostel life.
You have to take care of all the responsibilities yourself. You have to take care of studies, your health, your belongings and you even have to do your own chores e.g. laundry etc. So you have to enjoy your freedom responsibly. Otherwise, you will not be able to manage enough time to do all the necessary chores.
First of all, you need to make a routine of when to do things and how to do them. For that you need to follow a set of disciplines, if not everyday then at least on the working days e.g. Monday-Friday.
1. Personal hygiene
Personal hygiene starts from brushing your teeth to keeping your clothes washed and clean and minding your belongings. So make sure you still brush your teeth twice just like you used to in your parents’ home. Don’t store prejudice against cleanliness because once upon a time you were forced by your parents to do so! If you are not in a very cold place, try and take a shower once a day. Bathing cleanses your skin pores and cools your head and keeps the pH balance of your skin neutral. Wash your towels everyday and do not share your towels and soap bars with anyone. Things like toothpaste, shampoo, shaving cream, hair remover creams can be shared with others but not toothbrush, razors and combs. Similarly no sharing on the bed sheets or clothes. If you have shared then do re-use them without washing. Undergarments are completely out of the question. This is the only way to prevent the spreading of infections. Infections can be of any sort, they can range from dandruff or cold to skin disease or STDs. They spread easily in a cloistered environment like a hostel.
2. Eat and drink healthy
To most people hostels and healthy eating does not go hand in hand. The main reason behind it is neglect. It is not as hard as it seems. Let’s start with drinking water. Ensure that you drink good clean water. There are easy ways to do that – drinking mineral water only, buying a portable water filter etc. Drinking contaminated water can lead to diarrhea, dehydration and many other stomach complications. Then comes the food. Look out for the food you eat, make sing sure it is cooked in a clean environment and is served fresh. Frequent food poisoning can have a lasting effect on your stomach and lead to diseases like ulcers.
3. Healthy habits
Develop healthy habits like exercising and eating healthy. Drink a lot of water in the morning. And drink some lemon water. Lemon water is just lemonade without the sugar! Lemon has a lot of vitamin C and vitamin C has a lot of natural antioxidants in it. Anti-oxidants increase the immunity of the body and it also increases concentration. Don’t drink more than 2-3 cups of coffee or tea. Avoid unhealthy snacks like packed chips etc. Replace them with crackers or biscuits, almonds, cashews etc. Exercise regularly, join the hostel gym if there is any or find a local one. Or you can do some free hand exercises or yoga yourself. To counter the effects of bad diet, eat salads and drink a lot of fruit juice every day. Drink plenty of water to clears the stomach, prevent acidity and help the bowel movement.
It is good to take some laxatives once or twice a month, to clear out your insides and flush the colon. All that junk food can leave its trail in your small intestine.
All that freedom will be of no use if you’re too feeble to enjoy it. So eat right, sleep tight and exercise regularly to live healthy and strong.
