7 Ways To Practice Self-Care In College

College can certainly be stressful and overwhelming, but you always have to remember to take care of yourself. It is so funny the fact that just wrote that because I haven’t gotten a good night sleep in about 5 days… it’s finals week. BUT, time management is something I’m trying to work on and it’s important to be reminded that self-care always comes first. So, here are a couple ways to practice self-care in college, even when you’re busy AF trying to get your life together.

Make time to work out

Maybe you’ve heard this a lot and working out is certainly something you should do on a regular basis. Whether you do it to remain healthy, to get that summer body or just because you like it. Aside of the health benefits, working out also helps you relax and unplug. It is a way to practice self-care in college. Maybe it isn’t that relaxing for some, but it does help to unwind. It also is a great way to relieve stress and to make you feel more energetic.

I try to work out daily, try is a key word here because I struggle managing my time. And what has helped me is to always remember that you don’t have to go to the gym for 2 hours to get in a good workout session. You can get in a good workout session in less than 30 minutes as well. And even 15 minutes is better than nothing. Besides, making time in your busy day for a 30 minute workout is way easier than making time for a 2 hour workout.

Clean up/organize your room

I have to admit my dorm is a huge mess right now. The last couple weeks have been crazy and I’ve been putting off a lot of things, like doing laundry and organizing. I already gave up on making my bed every day… My roommates must hate me and honestly, I wouldn’t blame them.

I don’t know about you but I feel like I have my life under control when my room looks organized. Always remember that when your living space is a mess, you tend to feel like your life is a mess too.

I’ve found that dedicating 5 to 10 minutes to quickly organize my room every night before going to sleep helps a lot! It’s definitely better than having to dedicate 2 hours or more by the end of the week to clean up my room.

Related: The Ultimate Guide To Keeping Your Dorm Clean

Know when to take a break

Whether you’re in the middle of your study session or at work, it’s always good to take a break whenever you’re feeling too overwhelmed or stressed. If you force yourself to keep working or studying when feeling like that, you won’t learn anything and you won’t be productive. So… there you go, here’s an excuse to take breaks more often.

Hangout with friends

Sometimes the best therapy is grabbing a coffee with a friend and just catching up on each other’s lives. Talking with a friend can distract you from all your worries and can make you feel less stressed. My favorite thing is when I get to my dorm late at night after a long day of being stuck at the design studio and me and my roommates just talk and laugh for a bit before going to sleep. Which leads to…

Related: How to make friends in college

Make sure you get enough sleep

Trying to balance sleep, social life, work AND school is hard. I personally used to prioritize everything before sleep and was always tired af. Good thing I don’t do that anymore and refuse to sacrifice sleep over almost anything. We also tend to get so caught up on school work that we tend to rely on coffee instead of focusing on getting enough sleep to feel awake & rested. If studying at night works better for you, try to take a nap during the day. But try not to pull all-nighters, because they can mess up your sleep schedule. And always remember that getting enough sleep is essential to be productive and to stay on the top of your game.

Related: 5 Ways To De-Stress during finals week

Schedule some me-time

Another way to practice self-care in college is to schedule some me-time. It’s totally okay not to be productive sometimes. It is essential for our mental health to schedule sometime to relax and unwind. Just schedule half an hour before going to sleep and watch Netflix or color a coloring book. There’re so many things you could do to unwind. My favorite one is to put on a face mask and just unplug from electronics for about 30 minutes. Besides, putting on a face mask makes me feel like I have my life under control. You could try meditating or doing yoga, the options are endless.

Eat healthy

I can’t stress enough how important it is to eat healthy (says the girl who eats potato chips while writing a blog post about eating healthy). Yup, I’m exposing myself here. I personally believe that eating healthy is all about balance. For example, I’ll never be able to give up chips, I just love them too much. And I won’t deprive myself from eating them, as long as I eat healthy throughout the rest of the day.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself from the foods you like. I know it can be hard for those without a meal plan to make some time to cook and meal prep instead of eating out. And for those with a meal plan, it can certainly be tricky to eat healthy while eating at the dining hall. Eating junk food and unhealthy foods will only make you feel sluggish. So, load up on veggies and fruits, but don’t deprive yourself of things you like to eat, cause well that takes the fun out of it.