I am sure I am not the only person who thinks this but uni is stressful, you run from classes to work to the library to get some studying done and then home just to sleep. Usually meals are eaten on the go or while doing some studying, and sleep is rarely ever satisfying and restful. We rarely get the opportunity to take a second and pause and breathe, there is always something that needs to be done and taking care of ourselves is no where near being a priority.
Self-care is more than just taking care of yourself by eating healthy and doing exercise. It’s being active about taking care of your well-being and happiness especially during stressful times. You need to take breaks and take care of yourself in order to be energetic and effective. If your constantly running on the hamster wheel you will inevitably burn out. If you don’t make time to take care of yourself and your well being and avoid the things that make you feel happy you are going to deplete your energy. Just like you make time for other commitments and other people, make time for yourself as well.
Though mental health and self care take the back burner here are a few suggestions you can do that don’t require too much time but are highly effective.
1. Spend an hour doing something that brings you joy, whether that is reading a book, watching an episode of your favourite tv show, walking outside or visiting a museum for free on a Thursday evening
Basically do something by yourself that allows you to step away from your to do list and just enjoy something for an entire hour, doing something fun and something that you enjoy that you normally wouldn’t do. Doing it by yourself allows you to really focus on yourself and how you are feeling and it can bring you back to the grind feeling so refreshed and ready to get to work.
2. Paint to let out your creative energy
You don’t even have to be creative or artistic to do this one, pick up some paint colours and some paper and paint what feels good to you, it doesn’t even have to be any good but seeing the colours on the paper can be soothing
3. Unplug from your phone and social media
You would be surprised by how relieved you will feel and more relaxed you will be when you put done your phone and step away from it for a bit
4. Journal
If you are stressed out and have a lot of thoughts going through your head, writing things down can be a great release of all your thoughts, it can feel like a weight has been lifted. This doesn’t even have to be in a journal or notebook, it can be on the notes app in your phone, getting your thoughts on a page can be very therapeutic
5. Meditate/Yoga/Stretching
These are nothing new, but all 3 are great, they can do wonders to you, give them a try if you haven’t already.