Maintaining your health is important; maintaining your mental health, even more so. The greatest difficulty I’ve had in doing so has been finding time for self-care, and once I’ve found it, knowing exactly what to do. Self-care takes many forms and means something different to everyone. For some, that means staying home and having a spa day. Getting a manicure, washing and styling your hair and a much-needed everything shower. For others, it can mean spending time on a hobby. Digging into that to-be-read list, trying that delicious fall recipe you saw on TikTok, or playing video games. Whatever self-care looks like to you, it’s important to make time for it, but how do we do that in our packed schedules and busy lives?
Setting aside one day from our week is usually how we make time for our hobbies and relaxation, but maybe there’s a better way to take care of ourselves without waiting for a specific day to arrive. For the longest time, I’ve been in a reading slump and I couldn’t bring myself to pick up a book at all. I felt the pressure of my classes and extracurriculars and that transferred over into how I viewed my method of comfort. I wasn’t finding joy in my hobbies and they became things I didn’t want to do. I created a few steps that helped me get out of my slump and not only feel but also see the effects of taking care of myself. First, I had to understand how I felt and what was causing those feelings. Next, I re-associated the activities I enjoyed with a sense of reduced stress and genuine joy. Lastly, fit in a bite-sized piece of self-care every day, even if it’s for only 10 minutes.
This semester, I started off with one of my comfort novels, The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron, and aimed to read every day or every other day to ensure I am maintaining a balance between life and my mental health. Two weeks in and I’ve already completed the novel. Some days I read more; on others, I could only fit in 10 minutes of reading, but I found the time to read. I’ve noticed that I feel less overwhelmed by the day’s events. I was able to destress and reset for another day. I had the chance to take care of myself in the moment, rather than waiting for the time as if it were an appointment. There’s nothing wrong with having a self-care day, it’s greatly encouraged! However, if we want to see a lasting impression, making self-care sustainable means ensuring it becomes part of your routine rather than just another item on your to-do list. When you finish class a little early and have some time, make that fall recipe you’ve been wanting to try. You’ll get yourself into the autumn mood and feel yourself easing out of the day’s stress while you work. You have a break between your classes; go take a walk around campus, find a new study spot and maybe a new friend. You’ll get some fresh air and chat with someone new. You finished another long week and it’s finally Sunday; take that soak in the tub, have that girl dinner, and definitely snatch the moment to write in your journal. Out of all the things you need to do in your life, making time for yourself shouldn’t be a task, but rather a means to continue living a happy and healthy life.