Self- Care In College
Ever wondered what your future self will look like after all your hard work in college?
do you think all those positions, titles, A pluses and good tutorial attendance will be all you
need for your degree? I hope not! Look, if you don’t practice self- care in college, then
college itself won’t care for you. Here are a few things nobody tells you in college:
- § Self- care is a priority and necessity, not a luxury.
- § Lack of self-care affect others around you.
- § Self-care isn’t selfish.
- § Self-care is not something you do once then tick off the list.
Whether you live on a hall of residence or you commute to and from school, life sometimes
get hectic by virtue of being a college student. There are so many demands! You try to beat
the traffic but bloody hell the roads are under construction! You feel exhausted from staying
up all night to finish your assignments and there goes the bags under your eyes (not cute).
Not to mention the roles and responsibilities you have at home and school. Feel flustered yet?
Maybe not, but that may be because you are in denial or still stuck in traffic and
yet to face the day!
One can contend that with such high taxes to pay, our bodies need a tax reduction or a tax
break every now and again. Surely, the finance minister won’t disagree. This is where self-
care comes into “play”. Or should I say, “work”. Self-care is enhancing your wellbeing,
managing your stress and practicing activities that support and sustains your being positively.
With just 24 hours in a day, this seems hard. However, this article is here to your rescue.
Compliment yourself, and while you are at it, compile the compliments you have gotten from
others. Say them to yourself. Live them and let them aid in your self -growth. Too often we
zoom in on the negative things that people say about us and let them eat away at our beings.
While you are at it, or perhaps later, give your body at least ten minutes of attention. Yes, get
in tuned with your body. Check each body part and become aware of yourself. You’ll
probably notice sooner than later something that is a miss or perhaps you’ll notice your best
smile or a ‘hidden’ beauty spot.
Remember too, to have a good laugh. Don’t base your happiness solely on good
grades or a lecturer’s astonishment that you read all the cases. Read your favourite comics,
goof around for a while in a safe space. Laughing relaxes the muscles and aids in
youthfulness. However, don’t forget to check in with your other emotions. Reflect
meaningfully what you are feeling. When you acknowledge those feelings see how best you
can cater to them.
Take quick naps when spare time presents itself. Before you say there is no spare time, think
about the amount of time spent using social media; time spent standing around with
people who don’t even notice that you are there. Think about things in your daily
routine that your non-biased persona would acknowledge as time wasting. Then, with a
fraction of that ‘spare’ time, reduce your sleep debt with quick ten to twenty minutes power
naps.
With a little self-care each day, you will feel more connected with yourself and the people
around you. It is not selfish to delight in small likings geared toward yourself. Make it a habit
while in college and don’t fool yourself to think that after graduation you’ll be equipped with
a degree to do so.
This article was written by me; Fiona DaCosta back in November 2018 as part of the Mona Law Society's partnership with Haute magazine
