In the past few years, the notion of Self-care has taken on a very specific image. When thinking about self-care, most people think of spending the night drinking wine, in a face mask, while watching Netflix. Even though these are more luxurious ways to indulge in self-care, it can definitely take different forms. Here are 5 simple things that you might not consider self-care but are.
- GIVE YOURSELF THE EXTRA FIVE MINUTES OF SLEEP
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This one might seem impossible, I get it. We often get too wrapped up in the places that we need to be and the things we should be doing, but believe me, those extra five minutes make the difference. Personally, it takes me five minutes to get up in the morning as it is, so why not allow my body to get some extra rest. This idea has less to do with encouraging you to be lazy and more to do with giving your body the courtesy of some extra (and well-deserved) rest.
- DON’T GO TO THAT THING THAT HAS BEEN STRESSING YOU OUT
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We’re all human, we all make plans that we end up regretting later. There is absolutely nothing wrong with cancelling plans with friends, coworkers, or acquaintances to take some time for yourself. What is wrong is denying yourself quality time to do what you want because you feel pressured to make other people happy. To be clear, I am not saying that ditching your plans on a consistent basis is the solution to all of your problems. But I am suggesting that taking a break once in a while will be more beneficial to you than showing up to plans that you aren’t excited about in the first place.
- SPEND SOME EXTRA TIME GETTING READY FOR THE DAY
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Yet again, I completely relate to the time constraints we have as college students. I recognize that this might not be a daily routine that you can maintain, but maybe it’s something you can manage a couple times a week. I know personally, I need that time in the morning to get ready and organize my energies in the right places. By putting more effort and attention into caring for our bodies, we are showing our appreciation without compromising the schedule of our whole day. So, take the extra time to condition your hair, perfect your winged-eyeliner, or brush your teeth. Not only will these efforts positively reflect in your mood and attitude, but they just might rub off on the people around you.
- KEEP YOUR SPACE TIDY
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Okay, this one seems unnecessary, but I promise it makes sense. Being a former person of “organized chaos”, I can attest to how dramatically my life changed once I started tidying up. I am not saying that you have to do a 5 hour deep-cleaning of your space every day, but I am saying that setting aside some time to direct to your space can be extremely helpful to improving your health and mood. Even though a few shirts on the floor here and there don’t seem harmful, they subconsciously encourage disorganization. However, it is important to note that everyone’s standard of tidy is different. So, if you usually can’t see the floor in your living-are, maybe try picking a few things up each day. We feel better, when we feel we are making efforts to change the qualities about ourselves that we may not love.
- SPLIT UP YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
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Somehow, this article has formed a list of how time-management can act as self-care, but hey, we’re going to run with it! My last, and arguably most important, piece of advice is to learn how to split up your responsibilities. And this may look different depending on where you are in life. Maybe this looks like splitting chores, work, or simply breaking down assignments into parts. College can be grueling, especially if you are a person who is prone to procrastination. Unfortunately, I am one of the worst procrastinators I know, but this is something that really helped me. Instead of leaving 5 projects, 8 discussions, and 12 assignments until the last day, it can be helpful to do small parts of everything throughout the time leading up to the deadline. This is helpful for two reasons. 1. It takes off the initial work load and 2. If you procrastinate for too long and can’t finish everything, at least you have something down. In regard to number 2, I am not condoning turning in uncompleted work, rather I am being realistic. We have all been there at 11:58 on page 2 of 8, with no possible way of finishing. And that is okay. You can’t finish everything all the time. So, just keep in mind that something is better than nothing. And this applies to every piece of advice I have given today. Self-care can take many forms and simply putting yourself in the mindset of taking care of yourself is the first step!