The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook

The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook Learn what college students REALLY need to know about injuries, illnesses, anxieties & more!

🎓 College freshmen: Stop mindlessly scrolling & start GOOGLING stuff about your new school that will help you settle in ...
06/01/2026

🎓 College freshmen: Stop mindlessly scrolling & start GOOGLING stuff about your new school that will help you settle in & find friends quickly!

👍🏼 One of the best ways to prevent homesickness is to start building connections before you ever arrive on campus

✅ This week, spend 15 minutes searching:
🔎 “Top 10 most popular/coolest/diverse/fun/exciting clubs at my college”
🔎 “Most unique clubs at my college” (this one always gets super interesting results!) 
🔎 “Best volunteer organizations”
🔎 “Best intramural sports”
🔎 “Freshman-friendly clubs”
🔎 “Campus traditions”

3️⃣ Then pick THREE completely different groups you’d like to check out during your first month

➡️Every club introduces you to a different group of people

⭕️ The more circles you explore, the more likely you are to find friends who truly feel like your people (& this will change often the first semester especially)

‼️One more tip: don’t make your entire college experience depend on one sorority, dance team, acapella group, club, or organization. These are GREAT if you get in, but counting on them & then NOT getting in can crash your first semester experience

❤️Pursue the opportunities that excite you…AND keep your options open

🧺Some of the strongest college friendships begin in the most unexpected places- like laundry rooms, or in line for coffee

🤦‍♀️ PS when Instagram convinces you that everyone else is having the perfect first semester? Realize your instagram looks the same to others, & know that most freshmen are still figuring things out, too

❤️Finding your people takes time, & it changes as you gain confidence & find friends who truly share your interests, passions & choices

💀 “Blackout” drunk means you have a memory gap the next day, because your blood alcohol levels rose too high, too fast-w...
05/29/2026

💀 “Blackout” drunk means you have a memory gap the next day, because your blood alcohol levels rose too high, too fast-which turns off your brain’s ability to turn short term memories into long term memories

‼️ College freshman often end up “blackout drunk” trying to keep up drinking with their peers- especially if they are new to drinking

⁉️ Two people who look identical (same gender, weight & height) can drink the same amount of alcohol & one may have a blackout while the other does not.

💊 Medications can interact with alcohol & make blackouts more likely

🍕Drinking on an empty stomach makes alcohol get absorbed more quickly

🍞 Eating bread at the END of your night does NOT absorb alcohol & prevent hangovers or memory loss, but eating a sandwich immediately before our while drinking does slow down the rate of alcohol absorption

🙏🏻 Be kind to anyone who tells you they “don’t remember what happened last night” - this is very rarely a made-up excuse & it’s often extremely upsetting & scary

❤️ Parents, please share this with any teens & college students in your life

🤷‍♀️ Who doesn’t want to “hurry up & relax”? Sounds great, but WAIT- because these drinks are ADDICTIVE- they contain KR...
05/28/2026

🤷‍♀️ Who doesn’t want to “hurry up & relax”? Sounds great, but WAIT- because these drinks are ADDICTIVE- they contain KRAT0M

⛽️ Next time you’re in a convenience store, gas station, or health supplement store, pay attention to all the “energy boost” products at the register- a dazzling array of addictive substances, from basic caffeine (in WAY too high doses!) to ni****ne & now KRAT0M

🤦🏼‍♀️ These “K” products are considered supplements- translation, no FDA regulation so ingredients & concentrations do not necessarily reflect contents

😡 Meanwhile, these “energy drinks” are being handed out- offered as freebies- at gyms, yoga studios, etc, with the naive recipients never expecting an addictive substances

🧪And of course, because we love to supersize everything (especially mind-altering substances), a little Krat0m leaf tea is now morphed into K-0H concentrates that are far more powerful & addictive

‼️Like alcohol & w33d, krat0m products stack on risks when combined together (also looking at you, kava) &/or layered on top of prescription psychoactive meds (ADHD, anxiety & depression meds) and this is where we see seizures, psychosis, & worse

🙏🏼 Do yourself a favor & don’t start down this risky path- watch out for energy drinks, shots, pills & powders- many will say “K” but others do not & all tout “herbal & natural” ingredients. That doesn’t equal SAFE!

🎓 Parents, please talk about this with your favorite teens & college students - especially any Class of 2026 high school grads heading to college soon

05/27/2026

😵‍💫 Migraines often happen AFTER the test (like FINALS) so if you’re suffering now, listen up!

😩 Migraines (& tension headaches) are MISERABLE , and teens often start getting these headaches during their college years

💊 While OTC pain relievers and/or prescription medications can help, the answer doesn’t always need to be pill!

👍🏼 Heated or cooling masks can provide significant relief (either alone or in combination with pain relievers)

😄I’ve tried many cooling masks that have been effective for me, but so far this is my favorite because of its inherently cool, smooth texture & the perfect amount of gentle firm pressure for my head size & personal preference- thank you OnlyCare for sending me the sample- please tag yourself in the comments (I can’t find your account here on instagram)

‼️ Since I originally posted this reel last year, I’ve actually purchased 5 more masks for my family, and honestly we all love these so much, we travel with them! Not just for migraines, but simply to block out the world and relax to go meditate or go to sleep 💤

🏃‍♀️ Also, please remember that daily aerobic exercise can be key in migraine prevention

🥗 AND Food choices absolutely play a role - talk with your doctor about keeping food diaries to help identify your triggers!

➕ Add this to your college packing list!

🛑 STOP spending your dorm budget on string lights & random decor before you invest in the one thing that actually impact...
05/26/2026

🛑 STOP spending your dorm budget on string lights & random decor before you invest in the one thing that actually impacts grades, mood, immunity, mental health, workouts, focus, AND relationships: SLEEP 😴

🏆The most underrated college success tool isn’t a planner or productivity app. It’s a bed (& sleep environment) you can actually get quality sleep in

💳Worth every penny:
✔️ Soft, comfortable sheets (FEEL before you buy!)
✔️ Foam mattress topper (thicker is not always better)
✔️ Supportive head/neck pillow
✔️ Body pillow (bonus: saves your phone from falling off the bed at 2am)
✔️ Weighted blanket (optional but helps many)
✔️ Sleep mask + sleep headphones (don’t sleep in ear pods-get a headband style sleep headphones for relaxing guided meditation, music or sleep stories)

🎓College students may brag about pulling all-nighters… but the students who consistently sleep? They’re usually the ones acing their tests (& supporting their mental health!)

😴 Optimize your sleep setup FIRST, then buy the fun decor

❤️ Trust me, your brain & anxiety will thank you later

🇺🇸 Memorial Day picnics are supposed to create memories… not food poisoning 🤢👍🏼 2 simple tips to keep your cookout safer...
05/25/2026

🇺🇸 Memorial Day picnics are supposed to create memories… not food poisoning 🤢

👍🏼 2 simple tips to keep your cookout safer this Memorial Day weekend:

‼️Use THREE separate coolers:
• Drinks (opened constantly = warmer temps)
• Raw meat
• Fruit/veggies & ready-to-eat foods

🦠 Raw meat juices can drip onto produce and spread bacteria like Salmonella, & the drink cooler usually gets too warm to safely store perishables

⏰ Set a timer for mayo-based foods:
Deviled eggs & potato salad should sit out NO MORE than:
• 1 hour if it’s over 90° ☀️
• 2 hours max if under 90° 🌞

🇺🇸 Wishing everyone a safe Memorial Day weekend!

🙏🏼 Heartfelt gratitude to the brave service members who gave their lives for our country, & to the families who carry their memory every day. We remember & honor you.

05/25/2026

🕶️ Happy Memorial Weekend! The summer heat plus all day drinking can lead to the dreaded “spins” (& of course, to alcohol toxicity) so time for a repost reminder!

👍🏼 Obviously prevention is the best - limit your alcohol intake & always alternate alcoholic drinks with water or a nonalcoholic beverage or two!

🤢 But -if you messed up & have the spins, these 3 tricks can help

👀 Open your eyes & fixate on something across the room for 20 seconds

👋🏼 touch the wall with your hand and the floor with your bare feet

✅ Place a weighted blanket or weighted stuffed animal on your lap.

👍🏼 Steadily sip on a rehydration solution like CURE or Pedialyte - but skip the straw (the extra air in your stomach can worsen nausea)

🤔 Remember how rotten this felt, so next time so you can do more to prevent it

🤦‍♀️ “But Mom/Dad, EVERYONE has fakes!” 🤷🏽‍♀️ Well, yes, many (DEFINITELY NOT ALL) college students have fake IDs but le...
05/22/2026

🤦‍♀️ “But Mom/Dad, EVERYONE has fakes!”

🤷🏽‍♀️ Well, yes, many (DEFINITELY NOT ALL) college students have fake IDs but let me tell you- College towns are CRACKING DOWN & getting caught using a fake can land your kid in a ton of serious (& expensive) trouble

😭 Parents, your college kid can lose more than you might think if they are caught, including losing scholarships & even loans if their university adds on additional penalties & academic consequences

🤷 I wish college towns had more fun places that only served mocktails & other nonalcoholic drinks OR could use wristbands or stamps to identify underage customers (like we used to have “back in the day”) but seems like most bars & band/dance venues today only allow 21 & up, which is exactly why many kids that don’t even drink want to get a fake ID- just to be included in the social outing.

👍🏼Fortunately, more universities are addressing this issue by offering on campus activities (bands, movies, even bowling!) that are not tied to alcohol

🙏🏻 Please have this discussion with your under-21 college-bound teen or young adult, & share with anyone who might need to know these facts

🚨One of the most common college medication disasters? A student realizing too late that ADHD stimulant prescriptions don...
05/21/2026

🚨One of the most common college medication disasters? A student realizing too late that ADHD stimulant prescriptions don’t work like regular medications

⚕️Refills can be complicated across state lines, pharmacies may have restrictions, and “just mail it” is often not the answer

‼️PLUS: stimulant meds are one of the most commonly stolen or “borrowed” medications in dorms.

📦 “Can my parents just mail my ADHD meds to college?Usually, NO, that is not a good idea, for several reasons

⚠️Most ADHD stimulant medications are Schedule II controlled substances (like Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, Concerta). Federal mailing laws are strict:
• Pharmacies and licensed medical entities can legally ship them
• Individual family members generally should NOT mail them across state lines
Packages can be confiscated, delayed, or create legal problems

💚 Better plan:
✔️ Know refill timing before move-in
✔️ Ask your doctor about out-of-state prescribing rules
✔️ Set up a pharmacy near campus EARLY
✔️ Keep meds locked up in the dorm 🔐

💊A little planning now can prevent a major crisis during midterms (when that first prescription from home runs out!)

🤯🤯Still pinching myself… 🏆My book, The ULTIMATE College Student Health Handbook, was named one of Oprah Daily (https://w...
05/20/2026

🤯🤯Still pinching myself…

🏆My book, The ULTIMATE College Student Health Handbook, was named one of Oprah Daily (https://www.oprahdaily.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)’s “48 Best Gifts for Graduates They’ll Actually Use—and Love” for the SECOND year! 🎓✨

🤷‍♀️ Let’s be honest: college students don’t just need décor and dorm gadgets (though they are so fun!) They need real-world advice for everything from hangovers to homesickness, stress, sleep, hookups, illness, medications, mental health, and all the chaos in between

🥹So grateful to every parent, student, educator, and healthcare professional who has supported this book and shared it with a grad they love

😬 While the Aggie in me loves that Oprah Daily keeps showing the maroon edition, PLEASE be sure you purchase the newest edition-the one with the blue & gold cover- lots of new info added!

🎁If you’ve gifted the book, tell me below: what chapter do you hope your student reads first?

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