With the coronavirus canceling many travel plans, Spring Break 2020 may not be the rager you expected it to be. Instead of sitting at home doing nothing over break, try some of these self-care ideas that will help you forget the stress of school!
Sleep
I cannot stress this enough, GET SOME SLEEP! College can have you pulling all-nighters multiple times a week, so spring break is the perfect time to pay off some of that sleep debt you have accumulated over the past couple of months.
Before bed, maybe drink some calming chamomile tea and read a book to get tired. If you go on your phone, try turning on the blue light filter so it doesn’t bother your eyes before bed or, if you can, try to avoid looking at your phone completely. Once in bed, adjust your room temperature to a cool 70 degrees, get some soft blankets and pillows, and block the windows to make it nice and dark. This will create optimal sleeping conditions that will allow you to feel well-rested by the time you wake up.
Speaking of well-rested, the first few nights you do this, you will feel super groggy. Do not be discouraged. It’s simply your body catching up with the amount of sleep you’re getting and recharging itself.
Journal
Do you see that journal shoved into the bottom of your desk drawer? Yeah, write in it! Often we get too busy with school and work that we forget to let out our creativity. Spring break is the perfect time to rekindle those creative fires or reflect on the semester so far.
For optimal journaling, try playing some non-distracting music and light a candle or two to relax before you start writing. If this isn’t your vibe, maybe go to your favorite coffee shop or park to journal. It will force you to get out of the house, and often the fresh air helps you clear your mind!
Go Outside
A lot of times people assume that self-care over spring break is sleeping in the entire week and never leaving the comfort of your bed. Well, that’s wrong. Going outside for a walk or even just sitting in the sun helps the body build up vitamin D. Not only does this help build calcium in your bones, but it improves your overall mood!
Going outside also helps you sleep at night. By burning energy in the daytime, you spend less time trying to fall asleep at night. This works to prevent that groggy feeling when you wake up. So really, going outside will give you a better night’s rest, which goes with the first point: sleep more!
Reconnect with Old Friends
If you’re going to your hometown over spring break or staying by school, try talking to some old friends. When workloads build up, we forget about our high school friends and the people we met freshman year, so spring break is a nice time to catch up with them.
It will not be as awkward as you think. Even if you haven’t spoken to someone in a while, sending a quick text asking how they’re doing can brighten up their day. If anything, this text can lead to a fun coffee date that lets you both laugh about old memories and catch up on everything that has happened in each other’s lives.
Have a Full-On Self Care Night
I’m talking candles, movies, painting, popcorn, chocolate, facemasks, tea, everything you could ever want in a self-care night. Maybe invite that old friend over so you both can laugh at how ridiculous your face looks in that sheet mask, or hang out by yourself and eat the entire chocolate bar without judgment from others. It doesn’t matter. Just have fun and relax for the night; you have earned it!
Take the time over spring break to take care of yourself. Feel free to use these ideas or come up with some self-care treatments of your own! That way you can come back to school healthy and refreshed so that you can end your semester strong!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!