Arguably the most overlooked, yet one of the most important, ways to take care of ourselves in college is through our mental health. Surveys and studies have shown that an overwhelming amount of young people have struggled or are currently struggling with anxiety. In fact, one survey even found that 41.6 percent of college students asked said that anxiety was affecting their lives. That’s almost half of the students they asked—who knows what the number would be if every college student in the United States had the option to check that box.
With that being said, self-care is also on the rise in our generation, and I don’t think that it’s a coincidence. Self-care is an amazing way to help reduce anxiety and take time for ourselves mentally. The following are a few ways to practice self-care in college.
1. Clean up or reorganize your living space. I don’t know about you but if my living space is cluttered, I feel like my life is cluttered. Sometimes just changing your room, reorganizing your closet, or even just deep cleaning things can make a space look better, and make you feel better in return.
2. Explore your college town. This might go without saying, but exploring the town that you’re currently living in is a lot of fun. It gives you the chance to be outside, visit new places, and find what really makes where you’re living unique. I know that visiting downtown Auburn on the weekend can brighten even some of my worse days.
3. Color in a coloring book. Psychologists have said that coloring in a coloring book does help reduce anxiety and stress. The action of filling in shapes and choosing colors takes away from the thoughts of our day to day stressors, and it reminds us of our less stressful childhood days.
4. Have coffee with a friend. Sometimes just meeting up with a friend, talking about life, and drinking a warm cup of delicious coffee can help melt away stress. I know that my favorite thing to get when I’m having a bad week or day is a beautiful, delicious white chocolate mocha and a cinnamon roll from my favorite coffee shop downtown.
5. Write in a journal. Writing out your feelings on paper and physically being able to see them right before your eyes can sometimes help the way we see our stressors in day to day life. I know for me writing has always been away to escape and a way to make how I feel more tangible.
There are so many ways to practice self-care, it’s just a matter of finding what works best for you individually and rolling with it. Draw inspiration from Pinterest or ask around what other people do. Just make sure to remember to love and take care of yourself because you are so worth loving and do not deserve to feel overwhelmed or anxious!