Self-Care in College
Time management is one of the most important skills you will need in college. With assignments, exams, and extracurriculars, college life can get overwhelming at times. Managing your time to balance school work, social life, and self-care is truly important. Through my two and a half years at Tufts, I’ve picked up some helpful self-care tips that I use to make sure I am recharging and relaxing. I am going to share three of my favorite ways to unwind that anyone can do!
The first is working out and this can include various exercises like running, at-home workouts, and biking. I think many people are familiar with the scientific benefits of working out, but it can sometimes be hard to fit it into a busy schedule. I remember when I was taking 20 SHU’s, I’d spend all day studying because the assignments and exams felt never-ending. So, I could not dedicate as much time as I wanted to for my workouts. However, I would make up for all the hours of sitting by small things such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and taking the slightly longer route to my classes. Tufts is located on a hill, so you can feel the burn walking up and down the hills multiple times a day! Usually, I block out the same time on the weekends to work out and for the weekdays, I work out on the days I have lighter classes. Even if your workout is only for 15 - 20 minutes, I think it’s really helpful to get your mind off of schoolwork!
The second is doing face masks! I think this is a very popular self-care idea, and it works. Doing face masks is good for a quick pick me up because you usually leave on the face mask for 10-15 min and you can just relax during that time. If you are busy, and cannot spend a long time on self-care, face masks take a short time and you will have glowing skin after!
The third are coloring books and podcasts, together! I’ve heard about how coloring books can help reduce stress and how it is becoming popular, but I never thought of buying one. However, TUSC gave out goodie bags this Thanksgiving and it included a coloring book with some coloring pencils. So, I decided to take a break from doing all my assignments by just coloring one of the pages while listening to my favorite podcast. Now it’s one of my favorite ways to de-stress.
It is really important to take some time for yourself and de-stress. School work and other responsibilities you may have can get overwhelming, but blocking out even just 10-15 min can help you de-stress and re-focus! You can make your own self-care routine :)