This week I had the pleasure of meeting Holly Harrison from the Leeds chapter. We discussed the topic of looking after ourselves and explored themes surrounding nature, yoga and balance. Putting yourself first in your twenties is important for your mental well-being and for allowing yourself time to learn more about yourself and what you want to gain during this life. With Holly and I being university students, we discussed how looking after yourself is especially important whilst studying. In the UK, over a quarter of students experience their mental well-being changing since starting higher education; this can be for several reasons such as moving away from close relationships, financial struggles and academic struggles. That’s why it is so important to put yourself first during this time.
Nature
Surrounding yourself with nature, even if it is for ten minutes once a week, can largely improve your mental well-being and have positive impacts physically on your body. The study of ecopsychology provides research into how immersion in nature benefits our health, such as lowering blood pressure and stress hormone levels and reducing anxiety and improving self-esteem. Holly spoke about how experiencing nature and going for walks reminds her of being at home, where she would go for walks with her dog and family. This is comforting for her and helps her be present in the moment. Going for walks can be helpful when you need a small break from studying or even life’s everyday tasks that sometimes become overwhelming. Also, if you are a university student who has chosen to live far from home, engaging in an activity outside that you do whilst you’re visiting home can bring comfort to yourself. This can help to reduce any stress and anxiety you could be experiencing. I chose a university with a similar scenery to my hometown despite still being some distance away because I knew that I, personally, couldn’t live too far away from the sea. To look after myself, I will pick a day out of my week where I will walk along the seafront or through some surrounding woods near me and listen to an audible book. This helps me when I return to studying in remaining focused on my task because I have experienced fresh air and some alone time.
Yoga
Now I am a massive fan of yoga for many reasons; yoga can be beneficial for your well-being both mentally and physically, also spirituality if you’re into that. Whilst yoga improves your strength, balance, and flexibility, it also relaxes you, providing benefits for your heart and releasing pain in your body. Suppose you’re not a particularly physically active individual or don’t have a clue on where to start with yoga. In that case, there are apps and YouTube accounts that provide workouts for different areas to target, and some are as short as 5 minutes long. I started my yoga journey by following Yoga With Bird and now commit to yoga for at least 10 minutes a day. I learned a lot about myself from doing this as I used the time to worm through my thoughts and clear my mind. I was able to release stress and tension through different movement flows and from this realign and centre myself to what was important to me at that current moment. I also found it very rewarding because I was able to give myself 10 minutes each day that was just for me and working through my body; I am left feeling energised and not so tensed up all the time.
Balance
Balance can mean a lot of things, and it is good practice to implement it in all aspects of your life. Still, for this article, Holly and I homed in on the importance of balance whilst studying at university. This can be difficult for most when juggling academic studies, part-time employment and socialising. I am sure that many other university students love to socialise with friends by going out drinking or going to events; however, doing this constantly can be damaging to your health and well-being because let’s be real, are the hangovers worth it? You can find balance by suggesting to your friends that rather than going out drinking all the time, you could stay in watching films or going for a casual meal. These can equally be as enjoyable and won’t have you facing the consequences the next day. Perhaps also setting boundaries for yourself when it comes to socialising and taking on extra shifts because you need the money, saying no to things, and additional commitment allows you to give yourself time for some self-care treatment. I try each Sunday to have a day where I get on top of my household chores and then spend the evening relaxing, whether that be reading, making art or treating myself to a hair and face mask.
Taking time to look after yourself costs nothing. It is a rewarding habit to get into because of the endless mental and physical rewards. Take a look at Holly’s article on looking after yourself for her approach to the themes covered and explore yourself to see what would work best for you.