Self-care has been popularized by social media, and it’s been one of the best times of my life. I don’t feel guilty for putting the brakes on my heavy workload to take a bath, with an expensive face mask on and a Lush bath bomb. I do indeed bundle myself in a blankie burrito, and watch a season of New Girl in one sitting. I TREAT MYSELF.
One misconception though is that it’s always glamorous. Occasionally, self-care is a real sit-down within yourself to see why you haven’t been taking care of yourself. Have you been procrastinating? Are you disregarding your school and work? Self-care and productivity are cyclic: if you can’t take care of your personal needs, you won’t’ be productive; similarly, if you constantly overwhelm yourself with being as productive as possible at all times, you aren’t taking care of yourself. Sometimes you need to take steps to be productive and care for yourself. Here are some ways to do just that:
- Clean your room.
- Prioritize time by saying no to what you truly aren’t down for.
- Take a shower.
- Read a book.
- Listen to a podcast, particularly a motivating one like College Info Geek.
- Go for a walk.
- Write your favorite motivational quotes on sticky notes and put them on your mirror, laptop, journal, and anywhere else you look at often.
- BUDGET.
- Study with a friend.
- Turn your phone off for as long as you need to.
- Delete social media for as long as you need to.
- Check your email.
- Watch inspirational and/or educational TED Talks.
- Reward yourself for finishing your assignments and studying.
- Finish the hardest jobs/assignments first.
- Meditate.
- Go to bed on a regular schedule.
- Remember that something is better than nothing, so don’t avoid work just because you think it might not be good enough.
- Stomp out the idea that you need to be perfect to be a good student/employee/person.