College can be a one-stop shop for stress, especially with midterm season coming upon us. It’s not fun to feel like you’re drowning with school responsibilities, so here are a few ways to make sure you’re caring for yourself while in college.
1. Carve out time in your schedule for other things
Because college can be all-consuming, it’s important to carve out some “me time” in your schedule. Even if you can only afford to spare 15 minutes to cater to yourself, it will help your sanity in the long run. There are no rules to your “me time” except staying away from anything dealing with school work. Try going for a walk, playing some video games, or even just shutting your eyes for a few minutes. Whatever works for you, do it.
2. Don’t procrastinate
One of the biggest reasons why college students are stressed is because of the p-word — procrastination. Admit it, we’ve all done it before. It’s true that many students simply have a lot of work. But the remainder can save themselves a lot of stress and headaches by doing things when they’re supposed to. So do yourself a favor and don’t put off homework, studying or projects. If you do them once they’re given to you, you’ll thank yourself later.
3. Eat well
Having a good diet in college, especially when the pressure is on, will help a lot. What you eat determines the amount of energy you have, how your body handles stress, and keeps you healthy. Because things can get so busy, it can be difficult to carve out time for healthy foods, especially when eating something cheap and greasy is convenient. At the end/beginning of the week (whatever works for you), prepare your meals beforehand to make sure your body has the fuel it needs to get through your hectic schedule.
4. Don’t run yourself dry
One of the worst things you can do is run yourself dry. Then, next thing you know, you have to spend the whole week recuperating. When you realize you’re starting to run out of gas, take a moment to recharge. Recharging when your battery is low is a lot better than trying to replace an empty one.
5. Make a list
For easy access, make a list of things that you consider to be self-care. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Everyone’s idea of self-care is different. What may be beneficial/relaxing for one person may not work for the other. If you make a list, it takes the guesswork out of trying to decide what to do.
