Your body and your brain are the tools you will use for the rest of your life, and the choices you make right now help determine how well those tools work. This page is specifically about building healthy habits early, understanding how substances like alcohol, tobacco, and drugs affect a growing body, making smart choices about screens and social media, and taking care of your mental health. You do not need to be perfect. You just need to understand enough to make good decisions for yourself.
Taking Care of Your Body
Sleep: Your body needs 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night. That is not a suggestion from adults who want to annoy you. It is what your brain requires to consolidate memories (which is how you learn), regulate emotions (which is why you feel more irritable when tired), and support physical growth (growth hormone is released primarily during deep sleep). Screens before bed make it harder to fall asleep because the blue light they emit interferes with melatonin production, the hormone that signals your brain it is time to sleep. Try to put your phone away at least 30 minutes before bed. If that feels impossible right now, start with 10 minutes and build up.
Nutrition: Eating well does not mean following a complicated diet. It means eating a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein sources, and limiting sugary drinks, processed snacks, and fast food. Your brain consumes about 20 percent of the calories you eat, so what you fuel it with affects how well you think, concentrate, and learn. Breakfast matters because it provides energy for your morning classes. If you do not have time for a full breakfast, even a piece of fruit and a glass of milk is better than nothing. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps your brain function significantly better than sugary energy drinks or sodas.
Exercise: Physical activity helps your body, your brain, and your mood. The CDC recommends at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day for kids and teens. This does not have to be organized sports. Walking, biking, dancing, swimming, playing outside, or even taking the stairs instead of the elevator all count. Exercise releases endorphins (chemicals that improve your mood), improves sleep quality, reduces stress, and helps you concentrate better in school. If you are interested in healthcare, understanding how exercise affects the body is part of what you will study one day.
Understanding Substances
Alcohol: Alcohol affects the developing brain differently than an adult brain. Your brain continues developing until your mid-20s, and alcohol exposure during this period can impair memory formation, decision-making ability, and emotional regulation. You may hear that “everyone drinks” or that it is “not a big deal,” but the data is clear: alcohol use during middle school and high school is associated with worse academic performance, higher risk of developing alcohol dependence later in life, and increased risk of injury from accidents. Choosing not to drink is not uncool. It is informed.
Tobacco and Vaping: Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known. Vaping devices (e-cigarettes) deliver nicotine in flavored vapor that may seem harmless but is not. Nicotine exposure during adolescence changes brain chemistry in ways that increase susceptibility to addiction, impair attention and learning, and affect mood regulation. Vaping also introduces chemicals into your lungs whose long-term effects are still being studied, but early data suggests they can cause lung inflammation and damage. If you have already tried vaping, you are not a bad person. But understanding what nicotine does to your developing brain gives you the information you need to make a different choice.
Drugs: Marijuana, prescription drugs used without a prescription, and other substances all carry risks for developing brains. Marijuana use during adolescence has been linked to decreased cognitive function, lower academic performance, and increased risk of mental health conditions including anxiety and psychosis in vulnerable individuals. Prescription drugs (stimulants, painkillers, anti-anxiety medications) are medications designed for specific medical conditions under physician supervision. Taking them without a prescription is dangerous because the dosage, interactions, and side effects are unpredictable without medical guidance. If someone offers you a substance and you are unsure, it is always okay to say no. You do not owe anyone an explanation.
Digital Wellness
Screen Time: Screens are part of modern life, and they are not inherently bad. The question is how much time you spend on them and what you are doing during that time. Using a screen to learn (Khan Academy®, educational videos, reading), create (coding, art, writing, music production), or connect meaningfully with friends and family is different from scrolling through social media for hours or watching content passively. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that families create a personalized media plan that balances screen time with physical activity, sleep, homework, and face-to-face social interaction. If you notice that screen time is interfering with sleep, schoolwork, exercise, or your mood, that is a signal to adjust.
Social Media: Social media platforms are designed to keep you engaged as long as possible, and the algorithms that power them amplify content that triggers strong emotional reactions (outrage, envy, anxiety, excitement). The curated images and posts you see do not reflect reality. Comparing your actual life to someone else’s highlight reel is a reliable recipe for feeling worse about yourself. If social media makes you feel anxious, inadequate, or distracted, consider reducing the time you spend on it, unfollowing accounts that make you feel bad, and being intentional about what you consume. Your brain is still developing the ability to distinguish between curated content and reality, so giving yourself some distance from social media is a smart, evidence-based choice.
Mental Health Basics
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Feeling stressed, sad, anxious, or overwhelmed sometimes is a normal part of growing up. When those feelings become persistent (lasting for weeks), intense (interfering with school, sleep, friendships, or activities you used to enjoy), or frightening (thoughts of hurting yourself or others), that is a signal to talk to a trusted adult: a parent, teacher, school counselor, coach, or other adult you feel safe with. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is exactly what healthcare professionals recommend, and it is what strong, self-aware people do. See our wellness and mental health page for more on this topic.
The habits you build now, how you sleep, eat, move, handle stress, and make choices about substances and screens, are the foundation of the health you will carry into high school, college, and beyond. You do not have to get everything right today. Just start paying attention to how your choices affect how you feel, and make adjustments when something is not working.
For more on building healthy habits, see our wellness and mental health page and the middle school hub.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Physical Activity Guidelines for Youth.” CDC, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/. Accessed March 2026.
American Academy of Pediatrics. “Media and Children.” AAP, 2025. https://www.aap.org/. Accessed March 2026.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “Drugs and the Brain.” NIDA, 2025. https://nida.nih.gov/. Accessed March 2026.