Self-care is just as important as taking care of everything else and everyone around you. By ignoring caring for yourself and always worrying about everything else in the world, you can feel consistently stressed and drained. Here are some of the ways our editors’ like to destress and show a little self-love after a long week.
- A movie night at home
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Movie nights are my top way to destress after a long week filled with homework, working and sleep deprivation. The best feeling in the world is shutting off all technology and cuddling up in your bed or on your couch with comfy blankets and turning on a movie.
It can sometimes be hard to turn off your computer or to get off your phone, but the best way I’ve found to do this is to set a time either mentally or set an alarm on your phone to finish your work by and call it a night. Whether you’re finished or not, it is good to call it a night by 8 or 9 pm so you give yourself enough time to take a hot shower and get into your pajamas for a movie night.
My go-to movie on movie nights is typically any Disney movie or any comedy film with Adam Sandler. Once you are ready to watch your favorite film turn off the lights, get yourself a cup of tea, a bowl of ice cream or some popcorn, and curl up on your couch or in your bed with your comfiest blanket. This will provide you with so much relief and will distract you from constantly worrying about work or homework you have. You can even light some candles to set the mood for a night in with yourself and create a calming atmosphere.
-Gianna Matassa
- a date with yourself
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Throughout this stressful semester, my techniques for destressing have needed to evolve as this is my first semester of in-person college with socializing, club activities and work all together. Therefore, my most important tip for destressing is time alone. In college, we are almost always surrounded by others which is inherently stressful. Oftentimes my fear of missing out has caused me to overextend myself leaving little time to care for myself; so in the middle of this semester, I decided to make alone time a priority.
My absolute favorite activity to do alone is go on a walk and explore DC; whether you’re just exploring Tenley Town or going all the way to 14th street, there is always something to do. As a shopping addict, I love going to 14th street and browsing the vintage store, Miss Pixie’s. When exploring by yourself you can gain a sense of independence and focus on what is needed for your mental health.
I also highly recommend taking yourself on a “date” whether it’s to a restaurant or just a picnic doing something fun by yourself will drastically decrease your stress levels. This semester I visited the Kennedy Center and sat on the lawn with a pastry from the Cafe there. The views here are exquisite, and it was a great place to reflect and destress.
-Jordyn Habib
- Hot Girl walks and crafts
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I’m an introvert at heart, so after a busy week, my top priority is always spending quality time with myself. Being surrounded by people constantly can become exhausting, especially after over a year in quarantine. It is my top priority, especially when I’m stressed to carve out some time for myself—to be by myself. Still, finding this time can be difficult and often leaves me feeling guilty for not doing something more productive. While I know the importance of putting aside that guilt and taking care of myself, I also love destressing in ways that make me feel accomplished.
Going on walks is by far my favorite way to destress. I love putting on my favorite playlist and aimlessly walking around my neighborhood until I feel recharged and refreshed. Still, with a hectic schedule, it can be hard to find time to take a long walk, instead, sometimes I’ll carve out more time for my work or school commute and walk there versus taking the bus. Sometimes all you can do to destress with a busy schedule is find the special moments where you can take even just a little bit of time to yourself.
Over quarantine, I also found myself suddenly obsessed with crafts, whether it was making bracelets, painting or just doodling, being creative has always been one of my favorite outlets to destress. Now with work, school and friends, it can be hard for me to find enough time to create. Coloring is a quick and easy way to spend some time with myself, while still feeling accomplished afterwards. I’ve started to supplement my usual Tik-Tok study breaks with a quick coloring break, to just completely clear my mind.
-Mackenzie Riley
Self-care is so important. Taking a step back and destressing is an important part of self-care. Trying any of these techniques will definitely help you destress, especially during finals season.