The first month of a new semester at Tulane has come and gone, and with it, new experiences, people, worries, defeats, and triumphs. Whether you’re a first-year or plan to graduate in May, there’s no denying that scheduling enough time to navigate classes, friends, activities, campus and the crazy city of New Orleans feels impractical, but blocking time for self-care in the midst of stress proves important ––– and necessary. Without both physical and mental breaks, you’d probably become a walking zombie and find it near impossible to finish the semester, especially as strong and accomplished as you’d hoped. Self-care doesn’t require anything crazy; in fact, it can be as simple as making your bed in the morning, although falling right back asleep after class is usually the power move.
1) Stay Hydrated. One of the easiest, fastest ways to practice self-care is to stay hydrated. The heat and humidity of New Orleans can be overwhelming, especially throughout the beginning of first semester and towards the end of the year. Thankfully, Tulane has many water fountains and stations around campus to keep your bottle filled and self energized while running to class, Bruff with friends, or Howie T for a late-night study session. If you’re a regular at Reily, be sure to drink plenty of water, even gatorade or vitamin water, before working out. Once you’ve finished several miles on the elliptical or reps in the weight room, check out the facility’s bottle-filling station on the third floor, adjacent to the elevator and bathroom. Drinking after a workout is essential, so make use of the fresh, cold water at your fingertips. Staying hydrated will help you focus in class and complete your best work; get started today!
2) Keep a Journal. Whether you consider yourself a writer, or try to stray as far away from essay-heavy classes as possible, you should consider keeping a journal. Your emotions, insights, and experiences throughout the day don’t need to be crafted into a novel, but rather can be analyzed and improved upon while writing them down. Keeping track of your day is not only beneficial to staying organized ––– the process allows you to think critically about daily obstacles, thrills, and even moments of loneliness that shape how you maneuver around campus. Recently, many people have invested time in bullet-journaling, a more personalized form of tracking your thoughts that allows you to customize each page of the journal and set various goals throughout the day. Checking off your goals will not only make you feel accomplished, but also encourage you to keep pushing forward and set even greater, more exciting expectations of yourself. Of course, you must remind yourself that you can only do so much, and it’s OK to struggle at times ––– write about those struggles in the journal.
3) Eat With Friends. Although everyone has different schedules, your friends should figure out times in which they’re all available to grab a quick bite at Bruff, LBC, Loyola’s OR, or PJs/Starbucks. Sometimes, eating alone proves inevitable and can be a beneficial time of self-reflection, quietness, and relaxation, but spending time with those who can make you laugh is a good break and distraction from the day’s many stresses and tasks. Some of my favorite memories on campus are while having dinner at Bruff with a majority of my friends at the table, eating far too many chocolate chip cookies and joking about the many times we’ve tripped down the steps at Gibson or left our splash cards in random places. Lean on your friends when you’re feeling down, and remind them how much you care about their well-being, too. We’re all navigating the fast-paced, exciting, overwhelming, and frustrating world of college, so we might as well face it together over Bruff pizza.
4) Say NO When Necessary. One of the most important things I’ve learned while at Tulane is how and when to say no. Before college, I often prioritized other people’s happiness over my joy and made sure to check on my friends’ and family members’ well-being before even considering my own physical and emotional states. Of course, being a supportive, loving friend and family member is great, but I found myself being so at the expense of acting supportive and loving towards myself. Whether you’re wanting to study over going out or denying someone your energy as a result of their toxicity, you should say no to the people and things that aren’t in your best interest. Trust me, learning to do so is not an easy process, and if you’re accustomed to pleasing others before yourself, change certainly won’t happen overnight. But the right people will respect you practicing self-care and understand that your needs are just important as those of others. Take time to reevaluate who and what prove most important in your life ––– the excess baggage will be lifted from your shoulders.
Self-care is ongoing and should be considered just as important as your bio exam or philosophy essay. Whether you’re filling your water bottle multiple times each day or scheduling a meal with friends, remember that no act of self-care is ever useless or too small ––– good luck, collegiates!