Self-Care x University

It’s been a while since I published my blog. 

Truth be told with the heat from my midterms, assignments and lectures from my current course load. I had thought one blog post a week wouldn’t be too much to handle. But also me, I just wasn’t feeling it.

I haven’t been my usual positive self lately. With all that life has to offer, the unexpected twists and turns, you may not always feel like yourself too. So how about we take some time out and just zone in on self-care today.

Self-care: Actions and attitudes which contribute to the maintenance of well-being and personal health as well as promote human development so as to be the best version of yourself.

At most we prioritize work and achievements. If you’re like me, you have the tendency to do everything because you can. That feeling of accomplishment I get from ticking items off the to-do list never gets old. Once you feel the burnout point then it’s time for a little introspection. It can be extremely gratifying getting things done, slaying in life and all. But as long as you get home completely worn out, you’re probably low-key letting go off the things that matter, of most value i.e. a healthy diet, exercise and spending time out with friends and loved ones, you might end up feeling resentful, unfulfilled, mentally and physically exhausted.

It’s definitely not selfish to practice a bit of self-care here and then. Can you really look out for others if you’re not well? On the contrary, taking time to oneself goes an extra mile. I can assure you a great deal of success and results in the long run, because that’s what we all want as students, right?

Here’s a compilation of ways I think one can practice self-care as a university student. I’ve laid my focus more on mental self-care, but the list is not definite. We all have different preferences and in the end it’s up to you to find what best suits you:

• Strive as much as possible to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night (8 would be ideal, but you can work your way up)
• Cut down on processed foods (At least once during the day focus on filling your plate with several colors, vegetable, fruits and some sort of protein)
• Watch your caffeine and sugar intake
• Level up your water intake (This will flush out some of the toxins in your body so that you don’t feel so sluggish during the day)
• Grab a book you’ve been dying to read and immerse yourself in it
•  Listen to your favorite playlist, dance and sing along
• Do absolutely nothing for a while, let yourself listen and feel. (That’s what mindful meditation is about)
•  Meet up with some close friends and talk it out
• Cuddle, hug someone. It could be your friend or your pet
•  Plan a trip (Whether you decide to go or not)
• Go shopping, pamper yourself much
•  Go off social media for a while
•  (Not for everyone, but backed by science) Have sex.

Yes, that’s a bonus, because I found it in an article and we’re all grown-ups here.

Self-care Affirmation: I love the process of becoming who I am (and unbecoming who I am not) I let go, I pick up, I stumble, I rise, I flow. I am one mosaic-many parts learning how to make a masterpiece.