Why is practicing self-care important?
As college students, we can have a million and one things on our mind at any time of the day. With this heavy load of information that constantly keeps us busy, it is easy to lose sight of the special attention that should be directed towards self-care. Self-care is what individual people do for themselves to establish and maintain mental, physical, and emotional health that ultimately protects them from illness. Self-care is important because small factors like hygiene, nutrition, lifestyle, and environment affect the way that we ultimately perform as college students. Practicing self-care in its simplest form can establish a healthy pattern or lifestyle that creates a needed structure for a student to success. On a larger scale though, effective self-care can prepare students for exams, help mediate stress and anxiety levels, develop techniques for becoming more efficient learners, and prevent mental health conditions including depression. It is our responsibility to ensure that “Protecting Our Crown” or paying special attention to self-care is at the top of our list of priorities. Without a special attention to self-care, those excess stressors in our lives may become unbearable to manage.
3 Easy ways to practice good self-care virtually at home?
1. Practice a Healthy Lifestyle:
a. Eat Healthy Foods: In a virtual environment, what better skill to learn during quarantine than to add a little flavor to your culinary skills. This includes learning to cook a balanced meal that is both healthy and delicious!
b. Get Enough Sleep: The power of sleep is extremely important to improved self-care. Sleep not only restores the energy that your body has lost throughout the day, but it is also essential when storing and retaining information for exams and quizzes. Adequate sleep correlates to improved performance in daily functions and in the classroom.
c. Exercise Regularly: Exercise also gives the body the essential energy that it requires to function throughout the day. It is also a perfect way to get rid of that “Quarantine 15” and prepare for the upcoming summer months!
2. See Friends: One advantage of this virtual environment is the increase in virtual mediums to communicate with friends. When we create that connection, we also build a sense of belonging or presence. Think of a time when you gained energy from having a simple conversation or interaction with a friend or coworker. As humans, we are wired to seek human interaction and positive interactions can leave us with a positive perception of ourselves and the needed energy to make it through a tough or stressful day. This is a level of self-care.
3. Find Ways to Relax: What do you enjoy doing the most? The answer to this question should give you an idea of effective ways to relax. Self-care is about taking care of oneself first which sometimes means doing little to nothing at all to give your brain a rest. These relaxing activities include meditation, yoga, massages, walking, listening to music, or even sleeping!
What is one self-care strategy that I have implemented?
I have found that doing something that I enjoy every day despite a busy schedule helps me manage self-care. Whether that is reading, basketball, writing, or watching a favorite tv show, I find that taking a few moments out of my day to do something that I really love to do allows me to take a mental break from all stressors and truly focus on what makes me happy. This is the essence of self-care as you are participating in activities that will benefit you or improve your mental, physical, and emotional health. Discovering the activities that your body loves to do and will benefit from is the key to effective self-care practices.
