I’ll be honest, self care is something I don’t do often. I didn’t for the longest time because I thought I was taking care of myself— turns out, I wasn’t. I always saw people on Instagram and Pinterest bragging about their self care, so I started doing what they were doing. Turns out, their self care isn’t what self care looks like for me.
Sure— sheet masks, bubble baths, scented candles, and Netflix are great things. They make me feel great, too. But I realized those were things that made me happy, not the things that were actually about my mental well-being.
The average student spends 17 hours each week preparing for classes. That time includes doing readings, homework, and other assignments— not even including class time. The average student is also enrolled in 15 credit hours. That’s 32 hours without even adding work, Greek activities, other clubs, volunteering, or hanging out with friends.
I am not the first to admit that those hours are overwhelming. I fit into the average student schedule and I work part time as well. It’s a lot.
After being constantly overwhelmed and constantly feeling stressed all the time, I realized I wasn’t taking care of myself. I’d stay up and do homework until I went to bed. If I wasn’t doing homework or at work, I was watching Netflix. I felt like that was taking care of myself. But I wasn’t.
Over the last year, I’ve had to change how I look at self care. It’s not a glamorous hashtag on Twitter. It’s real and everyone needs to do it more. It’s hard to admit that, especially in college with so many achievements, goals, and expectations take precedence over someone’s well-being. Keep in mind, self-care is something that you should be doing on a regular basis, not once in a while.
I had to start scheduling time for what I needed. Not to just make it through the day. But to really feel like I could flourish in school. I created a routine and some habits I now use throughout my day and week to make sure I’m taken care of.
Here are general self-care routines that help me:
- I set an alarm. Even on the days I don’t have class. I make a cup of coffee and I might get back in bed to read or watch TV or simply just enjoy my cup of coffee without much thought.
- While I get ready in the morning, I listen to music. It perks me up a little bit. I might have a mini dance party once in a while.
- My clothes are picked out the night before so there is no rushing around in the morning, trying to figure out what to wear or panicking that it doesn’t look good. If something needs wrinkle spray or to be steamed, that’s when I do it.
- I eat breakfast. Make time to eat— it’s important.
- I have snacks packed for classes throughout the day that are healthier than eating at the Union.
- When I come home from classes, I take 30 minutes for myself. I listen to music, write something personal, just close my eyes, or read for fun. I try not to watch TV too much even though Netflix is so great.
- I have a diffuser. I’ll admit I was a bit of a skeptic of essential oils. I’m still a newbie, but I found that diffusing oils like peppermint, lime, or grapefruit are positive smells and are comforting.
- I cook dinner. As tired as I am sometimes, I have been guilty to run to Qdoba or Chipotle or Cane’s instead of making dinner. But cooking something for dinner is better for your wallet and your portion control.
- Some days I facial, take a bath, or paint my nails. But it isn’t my main form of self-care.
- When I need it, I ask for help. I won’t deny the fact that asking for help is hard. It is. But whether it’s for a class or something going on in my life, I feel a lot better when I ask for help. There are a lot of great people out there who are willing to listen and who are willing to help when you need it.
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