Four Quick Self-Care Tips
College is often a time of many responsibilities and commitments and a lot of academic and emotional stress. The question is how do we manage ourselves when things just began to get to darn hectic? Listed below are a few tips on how to manage taking care of yourself in heavily stressful times.
1. With all the stress accumulating during the semester, it is easy for us to dwell on everything that isn’t going as we expected. However, it is important that we alter this way of thinking because it can have a negative effect on both our thoughts and feelings which can potentially translate to other arenas in our lives. So if you find yourself constantly reflecting on everything that isn’t going right; stop, take a deep breathe, and tell yourself at least ONE thing that is going right. This may help put things in perspective and better your mood.
2. Take at least one day out of the week to do something special for you. Whether that’s staying at home all day on a Saturday and bingeing on Netflix or treating yourself to ice cream. You should always make time for you to do something you enjoy.
3. Have a strong support group! As much as we think we can do everything on our own it is important that we have someone else to rely on during stressful times. Having a strong social network is said to increase feelings of belonging, self-worth, and security. So if you reached your stress quota it’s okay to seek support from others to help you find your balance again.
4. Lastly, know your limits. It’s okay to say NO (nicely)! In college there are many opportunities to get involved with the variety of organizations and campus clubs available. As college we often have the desire to want to do and volunteer for everything. If you know that your workload is already too heavy don’t over commit for it will only create more stress. Adapting this healthy habit is a good way to ensure that you are taking care of yourself.
“Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. We need take care of our own needs first, then we can give our surplus, our abundance.”
–Jennifer Louden