In today鈥檚 world, it鈥檚 safe to say that the true meaning of self-care has been distorted to model something that it鈥檚 not. The run of the mill alone time and bubble baths seem to be very last year compared to we鈥檙e seeing today.
Through social media, we鈥檙e given the impression that expensive getaways and skin care remedies do just the trick for everything, when really the process isn鈥檛 always as fun or glamorous as the gurus make it look.
Self-care is all about simple problem-solving, even when the solutions don鈥檛 seem simple. Put down the plane tickets and the $75 eye cream, here are some free self-care gems:
1. Get Organized
Could your room be cleaner? Could you be tracking your assignments and important events better? Could you be making more time to do the things you love? In college, being organized is the key to staying on track with everything you do. Planning and organizing makes you feel more in control of your everyday life and less like everything is happening to you all at once.
2. Do Something Creative
Being creative brings out a side of us that we often don鈥檛 know that we have. It gives you a sense of pride, makes you a better problem-solver, reduces stress and anxiety, and allows for self-expression.
3. Talk Through Everything
If you have the resources, use them! Go to someone you trust and talk through everything. Whether you鈥檙e having the best day of your life or the worst week ever, it鈥檚 always good to have someone to share it with.
4. Write Down Your Thoughts
If talking things out isn鈥檛 as easy for you, that鈥檚 when you turn to your pen and paper. Writing is often therapeutic because you鈥檙e essentially talking through your problems to yourself. There are no opinions, interruptions or filters. Wherever you jot down your ideas, that space is 100 percent safe for self-expression.
5. Take Alone Time
Good things come out of separation. Taking as little as five minutes to yourself during the day can help clear your mind and help you focus on what鈥檚 next.
6. Try Something New/Scary
Some of the scariest things are the most valuable things you can do. If attempting a new activity scares you or makes you nervous, it鈥檚 probably worth your time. You鈥檒l end up achieving more than you could ever imagine. Life is about taking risks and chances. All it takes is one of the two to change your life forever.
7. Go Outside
Serotonin is a mood-affecting hormone often triggered by going outside and being in sunlight. Outdoor activities that get your blood pumping are usually the most fulfilling. There鈥檚 nothing wrong with sweating out what you鈥檙e feeling.
8. Get Enough Sleep
You won鈥檛 always get as much sleep as you鈥檇 like, but a gradual decline in sleep brings about bigger problems. If you know you鈥檝e been missing more sleep lately, start off by taking naps to make up for what you鈥檝e missed during your day. From there, focus on working towards becoming more strategic in your nighttime routine.
9. Create a new routine
Changing up the way you normally do things is a known tool for survival in college. As you make your way throughout your journey, you鈥檒l realize that the same methods won鈥檛 always work as well as they did before. Routine changes tend to create new habits, new ways of thinking, and new ways of life.
