How to maintain self-care in college?

By: S. Spells

Everyone knows that college is hard but one of the most important things should be to maintain your self-care. Self-care requires you to protect your well-being and happiness during periods of stress. Choosing to maintain your self-care can improve not only your mental health but your health in general. Now it may seem like a lot, however, here are five ways you can get started.

1. Set a routine

Setting a routine starts the healthy balance of maintaining your self-care. College can be hectic with your classes and if you decide to join clubs, organizations, or sports. So, it is important to have your schedule planned out accordingly to not be stressed trying to manage your time.

2. Sleep

It is important to get at least 8 hours of sleep each day. Getting an adequate amount of sleep allows you to lower your risk for serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Sleep will also help reduce stress, improve your mood, and help you think more clearly to do better in school.

3. Exercise

Exercise is a great way to help us improve brain health, manage weight, and improve our ability to do everyday activities. Activities can range from a daily walk to a routine gym visit. It can also take your mind off of your stress

4. Drink plenty of water/multiple meals a day

To avoid dehydration which can cause you to have unclear thinking, can result in mood changes, and can cause your body to overheat. It is recommended to drink 8 ounces of water per day. It is also important to make sure you eat 3 times a day because it can help improve satiety and reduce hunger cues.

5. Meditation

Any form of meditation such as yoga, deep breathing, Zen, and coloring, can help us build skills to manage our stress, and increase concentration and attention while reducing memory loss. Most colleges provide classes such as yoga to help out with managing our stress because they know how important it is to have self-care in our mental state.

Setting a routine of self-care is important to maintain in college because if you want to produce good results in your life, it starts within you and how you take care of yourself. Finding ways to make time out of your day to help keep you healthy will result in better thinking, grades, and ways of communicating with others. Having a healthy balance of sleep, eating, drinking water, exercise, setting a routine of these and meditation is a great start to self-care while in college.

Cite Pages:

Sleep: https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/healthy-living/mental-health-and-relationships/get-enough-sleep

Exercise: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm#:~:text=Being%20physically%20active%20can%20improve,activity%20gain%20some%20health%20benefits.

Meditation: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

Drinking Water: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/water-and-healthier-drinks.html#:~:text=Getting%20enough%20water%20every%20day,to%20constipation%20and%20kidney%20stones.

Eating: https://betterme.world/articles/3-meals-a-day/#:~:text=Studies%20show%20that%20eating%20three,without%20overeating%20or%20eating%20recklessly.