With the rise of mental health advocacy in our society, self-care ideas have become a key focus in recent years. But how many times have you opened a list of self-care suggestions only to find that none of them appeal to you or that they’re all the same?
While the concept of self-care has gained popularity, many individuals are unaware of what it entails. As a result, many people don’t put it on their priority list since they don’t always see solutions or concepts that fit into their lives. However, as a student, learning to build your self-care regimen is critical because it will aid you in studying, focusing, and completing your academic career successfully.
1. The value of self-care
In recent years, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, self-care has become somewhat of a catchphrase. Because that is what we see when we hear those phrases, most people assume that self-care is taking a bubble bath or applying a face mask to yourself. That isn’t the whole point, though.
Self-care, in reality, is a collection of things that work together to help you look after yourself. This encompasses, among other things, lifestyle variables, sociability, mental wellness, disease prevention, and physical health.
As a result, self-care can be as simple as showering or eating dinner to maintain personal cleanliness. Emotional, mental, bodily, and social fulfillment are all aspects of true self-care. To maintain your well-being, you’ll need all of these items.
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2. Self-care for mental health
You probably experience a lot of stress and strain as a student, and that’s because you are. Campus melancholy and anxiety are highly common among college and university students all around the world, and many students struggle to manage them.
In the 12 months before the study, 60.6 percent of Canadian college and university students reported feeling overwhelmed with stress, 64.5 percent said they had overwhelming anxiety, and 44.4 percent said they had severe depression, according to the Canadian National College Health Assessment from 2016.
3. Self-care for the body
Sitting at a computer all day or working on paper after paper might be detrimental to your physical health as a student. It also means it’s easy to forget that you’re not treating and caring for your body properly.
Taking care of your physical body is beneficial not just to your health but also to your general well-being. Sure, lying on the couch all day munching on chips is enjoyable, but have you ever done so for an extended length of time and felt awful afterward? There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself when you’re in need, but maintaining your physical health is an important component of self-care.
Physical self-care entails more than just getting some exercise and eating a nutritious diet. It’s all about taking care of your body, whether that means simply showering and keeping up with your cardio or going for a hike or a run. You only have one body, so make sure you take care of it so it can perform at its best.
Setting up good habits is essential for maintaining mental health, happiness, and productivity. Healthy eating and exercise are directly linked to a variety of areas of life and personal welfare.
4. Self-care for the mind
You’ve probably heard of body hygiene: those daily rituals like brushing your teeth, applying deodorant, and showering that help you maintain your physical well-being. Mental hygiene is comparable to physical hygiene, but it is focused on the mind.
Listen to our Student Influencers Podcast interview with Shalmali Jadhav from the Homework Help Show to discover more about mental hygiene. Shalmali is the founder of Empathy For You, a student mental health awareness and education initiative.
Taking care of your mental health and mental hygiene is essentially self-care for the mind, which ensures that your brain is in the right position to power the rest of your body. That involves coping with stress and anxiety, maintaining a positive attitude, and avoiding the dreaded student burnout.
5. Self-care for the soul
What motivates you is your soul. The ancient Egyptians thought that the soul was the vital essence of a person’s body, and this concept dates back to the beginning of time. The soul was always the primary anchor and essence of that individual, regardless matter what happened to their body throughout time.
However, we give ourselves those sensations of fulfillment when we feed our spirit, we feed our well-being. You won’t find the desire and inspiration to keep going until your spirit is invested in anything.
Self-care for the soul entails doing things that are deep down enriching, whether it’s volunteering for a cause you care about or mowing your elderly neighbor’s yard.
6. Self-care for the heart
We mean social factors like personal relationships, family, friends, and meaningful interactions when we talk about heart self-care. In general, having a solid social life makes you feel less lonely, relieves stress, and keeps you happy.
Furthermore, it is widely accepted in the scientific community that those with a high level of socializing have better cognitive performance. It’s also crucial who you hang out with; if your core group includes a lot of positive people who are good role models, you’ll be more likely to follow their lead.
Socialization and connections are vital for a variety of reasons, but they can also benefit your physical heart: research has shown that socialization can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and other physical health issues.
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Conclusion
Make sure to incorporate some of these fast self-care recommendations into your self-care routine as well. These are things to bear in mind whenever you consider taking care of yourself or when you begin to feel guilty about taking too much time for yourself.
- Ensure that you engage in activities that you enjoy. Maintaining your happiness and fulfillment is the goal of self-care.
- Don’t be frightened to put money into your development. Spend money on yourself now and then, even if it isn’t necessary.
- Recognize when you’re having trouble and don’t be hesitant to ask for assistance.
- Keep in mind that self-care isn’t the same as self-indulgence. You must look after yourself and ensure that your mental health and well-being are not jeopardized. This is necessary for a happy and fulfilling existence.
- You can only assist others if you are both mentally and physically capable of doing it. After you’ve taken care of yourself and prioritized your needs, you’ll be able to give back to the world with that incredible enthusiasm.
