Student & Graduate Stories

This is a guest post by Cecilia Vargas, MSc Nutrition and Behaviour

University life can feel like a lot sometimes, between deadlines, social plans, part-time jobs, and trying to take care of yourself, it’s easy to end up running on autopilot. You wake up, rush to class, grab whatever food is available, and suddenly the day is over, without really pausing to check in with how you feel.

That’s where mindfulness comes in:

Mindfulness is about being present. Not overthinking the past or worrying about what’s next, but gently bringing yourself back to now. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be like pausing for a moment, taking a slow breath, noticing the air as it comes in and out, or simply becoming aware of the sounds around you: voices, footsteps, the quiet hum of your environment. It´s about grounding yourself in something real and noticing where you are, how you feel, and what you need in that moment.

And this connects closely to the way we eat.

As students, our eating habits can become a bit chaotic. Skipping meals, eating late, snacking while studying, or eating out of stress rather than hunger, it happens more than we realise. Mindful eating isn’t about being strict or perfect. It´s about paying attention.

It can be something as simple as sitting down for a meal without distractions. Pausing before eating. Looking at your food, noticing the colours, the smell. Take your first bite slowly, recognising the flavours and textures. Even taking a second to feel gratitude for the food in front of you. These small moments bring you back into your body, and when you’re more present, you start to notice your signals: hunger, fullness, satisfaction, but also your patterns.

Because sometimes, it’s not just about food.

There’s also an emotional side to it. Stress and anxiety can change the way we eat. Some days you might feel like eating everything, and other days, nothing at all. And both are valid experiences. But when we start paying attention, we can respond to ourselves with more care instead of judgment.

One thing that really helps is journaling. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated, just a few lines at the end of the day. Writing things like:

· How did I feel today?

· What did I need but didn’t give myself?

· Am I actually hungry right now?

· What kind of hunger is this? Is it physical or emotional?

Writing it down helps you create space between what you feel and how you react. It allows you to understand yourself instead of judging yourself and it can make a big difference. It’s a way of releasing thoughts instead of carrying them around all day.

Over time, you begin to recognise patterns, when you tend to eat without hunger, when you lose your appetite, or when you’re using food to cope with emotions.

Mindfulness is about noticing, about being honest with yourself in a kind way and without trying to control everything.

University life won’t always be balanced, and that’s okay. But these small pauses, a breath, a moment of awareness, a question written in your journal, can help you feel more connected to yourself.

You don’t need to change everything at once. Check in with yourself. Whether it’s during a meal, a walk to campus, or before going to bed.

There’s something powerful in choosing to pause, even briefly, and allowing yourself to feel without needing to escape it.