My Self-Care Tips for a Healthy Semester
Self-care is critical to your physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, we all know that. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to practice what we preach. Life gets busy, and slowing down is the last thing on anyone’s mind, but I’m here to remind you to take care of yourself. Here’s some of my tips for practicing self-care during a hectic semester:
- Find a TV show you love to binge-watch. Let it be your guilty pleasure. Mine are New Girl, Gilmore Girls and the Bachelor franchise. Sometimes self-care just means turning off your brain at the end of the day. Also, if you want to be with people, but don’t have the energy to talk, watching a show together at the end of the day is a great move.
- Experiment with different foods and diets to find the specific balance of health and indulgence that works for you. I was vegan for years until I realized that, for me, the health benefits weren’t outweighed by how badly I wanted a fried egg and a piece of milk chocolate. Make choices with both your body and heart in mind.
- Find ways to move your body every day that don’t suck. Notice that you aren’t even leaving your dorm or apartment some days? Take a walk to Trader Joe’s and buy yourself some healthy snacks. Incentivize movement, and you’ll find it much easier.
- When you’re feeling particularly down, treat yourself to something you love. Are you a Starbucks matcha latte fiend? Treat yourself to a venti, or learn how to make it yourself (all you really need is matcha, a sweetener, milk and a milk frother).
- Journal in some form or another. During the holidays, I was gifted a five year journal where I write down a sentence about what happened every day. I’ve found it to be a particularly effective way to practice self-reflection and gratitude, and highly recommend it!
- Get a plant. Whether it’s herbs, flowers, or just a simple succulent, adding nature into your environment is huge. Not only do house plants have a variety of physical benefits, but having to take care of another living thing often serves as a good reminder to take care of yourself.
- Do all the things your parents told you to do. You rolled your eyes, but taking a daily multivitamin and applying sunscreen every day (no matter the weather) are things you’ll thank yourself for doing later.
- Start listening to podcasts. Learn about what’s going on in the world, or just listen to your favorite influencers chat. Either way, it’s a great thing to incorporate into your day that can be paired with other self-care activities like long walks, or cleaning your apartment.
Hopefully somewhere in that list is a tip or reminder that will help you this semester! Just remember, especially this semester, we’re all in this together. Reach out to resources on or off campus if you feel you need more support.