There’s spooky season and cuffing season and we’re embracing a new season — take care of yourself season.

As college students, school and work and homework and projects and relationships and friendships and social life and everything in between gets tangled up in a knot that may be hard to untie.

The Beacon staff is all college students and we understand. It’s time to put yourself first, at least every once and awhile.

My favorite way to put myself first is to drop my phone, grab my keys and head outside. The mountains call often- maybe you should give them a spin.

But being one with nature isn’t for everyone.

In this special issue you’ll find a variety of health, beauty and wellness topics from healthy eating to campus resources to local ways to relax and unwind. My favorite stories center on self care in college and how to manage your stress better. Yep, you guessed it, I’ll be reading those pretty closely.

But, it’s mostly about sparking a culture shift that brings about the need for change — a change in the declining health of college students as outside forces take precedence. A decline in mental health leads to a decline in academic success. But academic success lends itself to health stress. It seems to be a cycle.

So, how do we break the cycle?

This is how we start. Take a moment. Breathe. Read this paper. Read the stories online. And start to take time for yourself.