7 SELF-CARE TIPS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
I want to introduce you to Salimatou Soumare she is the creator of a lifestyle blog called Nabila Raine. While currently a student at herself, she somehow finds the additional time to write and create videos on health and wellness as well as diy projects and more. The article that is featured today is truly relevant as colleges and universities begin their Spring semester. Please take a moment to read her article or watch her awesome video. Want more? Visit www.nabilaraine.com.
Thanks for sharing Salimatou! All the best!
7 SELF-CARE TIPS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
College can be very difficult and time consuming. We all try our best to get all of our work done on time and efficiently but sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. So, today I will be sharing a few self-care tips for us college students and working people.
Check out the video for this post here:
- TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF
Be sure to take time for yourself when you need it. You are not good to yourself, your assignments, or your environment when you can’t function properly. This can be anything from taking breaks throughout your assignment, having time where you can talk to family and friends, and doing activities that you enjoy.
For me personally, my self care consists of lots of alone time. I generally like to be by myself most times and this can just be me being productive and working on things that I enjoy such as blogging and making crafts. I also spend this time just relaxing, watching Youtube videos or Netflix. Simple things like these make such a difference for me.
- PLAN
Be sure to plug in all of the productive work such as assignments, studying, work, etc. into your plan. Having a planner or a journal to write down what you need to do can be very helpful. Also, plan out your self-care time so that you don’t forget to do it and you will know what time is allocated to it.
You can start big and at the beginning of the month write down your plan, then move on to planning for the week, then for the day and if you have to for the hours of your day. Everyone is different and needs different reminders, so do what is right for you.
Some things can include writing down a permanent self care Sunday, which is pampering yourself in anyway that you like. These can include, facials, deep conditioning and doing your hair, doing your nails, shaving, etc.
Honestly, just doing things that make you feel good. This goes for both male and female. Males: there is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself!
- MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP
Why are all nighters a thing? Honestly, it is very counterproductive. You may believe that it is a great idea because you procrastinated so now you need to get all of the info in your brain before the exam you have tomorrow.
However, since you brain is running on such low energy it is not consuming and holding all of the information that you are giving to it. When you sleep information is taken in long term memory and consolidated, so sleep is very important to retaining information.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep! Dedicate a specific time as your bed time and stick to it. Also, have a wake up time and your body will begin to get use to the the rhythm that you set for it. This will make it so much easier for you to go to bed on time.
- EXERCISE
Exercise goes along with the last tip. It will just make you feel better overall and make you have more energy to perform the tasks that you need to.
SOME BENEFITS OF EXERCISING ARE:
1. It can make you feel happier. It can increase your mood and is shown to decrease signs of depression, anxiety and stress.
- As we all may know, it can help with weight loss.
- It is good for you muscles and your bones.
- It increases your energy level.
- It increases your chances of living longer!
WHERE CAN YOU EXERCISE?
You have many alternative to how would like to go about implementing exercise into your schedule. You can exercise in your room and turn on fun dancing or upbeat videos on youtube.
Here is one Youtuber who is really fun!
https://www.youtube.com/user/superherofitnesstv
Her name is Keaira LaShae. She is just so energetic and upbeat that it doesn’t even seem like you are exercising!
Another option is to go to your gym on campus. Many colleges have gyms on campus that are free, you may just need to swipe your ID when you get there. I like this option a lot because the machines are already there and have their designated jobs. So, you will just have to know whether it is leg day, arms, abs, etc. and plan your workout around that.
The last option that I can think of is to just go jogging outside. Here at my school we have a flight of stairs that is super tall and people love to run up and down it in the warmer months. You just need to work with what you have.
Are there any other options you can think of? Be sure to let us know done below in the comments section!
- STAY HYDRATED!
Drink lots of water. Ask your self throughout the day, everyday how much water have drank.
Reminder: You need to drink half of your body’s weight in oz!
Check out my November favorites where I talk about my water bottle that I put stickers on my bottle to remind me to drink water, here.
BENEFITS OF DRINKING WATER:
1. Helps the brain function properly.
- Gives you energy.
- Prevent and treat headaches
- Cure for hang overs.
WAYS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE DRINKING WATER
Make a conscious effort to do so. On my water bottle I have reminders on it so I know how much I have drank throughout the day. I have a terrible memory so this helps me a lot!
Make your water fun! By this I mean add some fruit to it to bring it a little more flavor.
Always have it close by.
- UNPLUG FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Unplug from social media and all of the chaos going on during finals week. This is just distracting you from what you need to get done. It’s only a week or two! You will survive!
Think about it, after that week you will be home free and will be able to indulge in what you think you “missed,” even though it’s probably not much in reality.
If you can implement this strategy throughout the semester that would be even better. You don’t have go cold turkey but just minimizing it can make all of the difference in your productivity.
- FINISH WITH BEING PRODUCTIVE
Lastly, I have be sure to always go back to what you need to do eventually. We still need to get our work done and in the end it will make ourselves happy because we got through it with a positive view and mindset.
I hope you enjoy these self-care tips and that they were helpful to you! Be sure to comment down below and let me know what you do for self care.
