Five Ways To Self Care
As college students, we are so busy with staying on top of classes, maintaining a social life, participating in academics, and working a job, self-care sometimes can get lost in the mix of everything. I feel my life has always been a nonstop go, go, go and my schedule has always been filled - that’s just how I prefer it.
Over quarantine, I absorbed the idea that self-care. Focusing on your mental health is extremely important to keep yourself sane. Before COVID-19, I did not realize the effect my mental health had on my life. I constantly felt stressed and overwhelmed with school, sad with the fact that I would not experience my “normal” senior year of highschool, and was nervous for the upcoming school year where I was going to be a college student for the first time. Being a freshman in college is nerve-wracking as it is, however with this pandemic, there was so much uncertainty in the fall semester. Would we be on campus? How will I meet friends having to wear a mask? Is it safe for my health? All these questions raced through my head.
From this bottled up stress, I decided that I should focus on self-care with nothing else to do during quarantine. Pre-covid, I always saw self-care as substance-less actions such as face masks, but now I see it as so much more than that. Here are some of the ways I use self-care in my everyday life!
1. Getting enough sleep
Still wake up at a reasonable hour. I believe that with enough sleep, you can function so much better throughout the day. When I began to wind down for bed around 10:30, I could easily wake up at 7:30 with no problem! I am an early bird, and sleeping too late makes me feel like I wasted my entire day away!
2. Taking more than five minutes to get ready.
Even if I’m not heat-styling my hair or doing a ton of makeup, I found that giving myself time to do my skincare routine, make my bed, and be able to make and sit down for breakfast; I have set the foundation of my day for success!
3. Working out
I find it sometimes difficult to get out of my bed to workout. However, I have learned that the days you don’t want to work out are the best motivation. Finding workouts that you are interested in and love is key to creating a healthy bond with exercise. And of course, the feeling right after a good workout is the best.
4. Fueling my body with clean foods and drinking enough water.
I have definitely had my fair share of baking over quarantine; however, I also realized that I could make incredible recipes with healthy, clean ingredients. I also found myself refilling my HydroFlask multiple times a day, and the straw lid helped me meet my water goals.
5. Indulging in your guilty pleasure!
Some of mine include watching YouTube videos, baking, and taking a bath. This can truly be anything that brings you happiness!
All in all, quarantine has really taught me to have a self-check-in every once and a while to make sure my mental health is good. Self-care is such a great outlet to escape everyday life while enjoying yourself!
All the Love,
Morgan Mancini.