Five Self-Care Essentials

Take control of the things you can control.

Simple, yet effective, everyday steps to maintaining mental health.

Anxiety, which has been rising in college students for the past ten years, is all about control and stressing about the things you can’t control. These five self-care essentials are in most cases in your control, you just have to take advantage of them.

Here is an overview of the essential practices I am going to go over today:

• Relaxing Time
• Maintain Personal Hygiene
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Clean Environment

Time to Relax

Have you put aside any time for yourself this week?

College life can be overwhelming. There’s more demand in classes than in high school, and if you have a job on top of classes, things can get hectic pretty quick. So it’s more important than ever to plan out time that is just for you. I recommend choosing something that gives you enjoy and at the same time brings you relief and peace, whatever that means to you. Everyone’s go to relaxation practice will be different, but here is a list of the top things that come to mind that are easy and don’t cost any money.

• Meditation – This practice gets a lot of hype, and it lives up to it. There are countless guided meditations online, as well as several apps that can help you get started creating a regular meditation practice. This site is a great place to start.
• Reading (for pleasure) – Taking time to read something for yourself can be freeing and fun. I personally use reading a lot for my own relaxation time. If cost is an issue, go find your local library and check something out there. If you want a book to own, find your local bookstore. Indiebound is a great resource to find independent bookstores near you.
• Exercise – It may seem counterproductive, but getting some exercise can provide great comfort and be relaxing. Many people find solace and genuine time with themselves when they exercise. Most colleges also offer a free membership to their recreation center when you are full time. And don’t forget, you can always find a local place to take a nice hike.

Personal Hygiene

When is the last time you showered?

I hate showering. This is probably one of the easiest improvements on my mental health I could make, just sticking to a shower routine. I put off doing it, but I always feel better when I’ve done it.

It can also be difficult to find the time to keep up with those cleaning routines when you get into the busy throws of college life. Along with that special ‘you’ time that you set aside during the week, allow yourself time to take care of personal hygiene. Brush and floss your teeth everyday. Just do it. You’ll feel better.

Proper Nutrition

Do you have enough protein in your diet?

It can be quite difficult to find the time and money to eat well. Processed and boxed foods are cheaper than ever while fresh produce and meat can be expensive and go bad quickly.

There are simple solutions to making sure you have the right nutrients, and here is what I suggest:

• Get a good multi-vitamin. Consumer Reports thoroughly on great options.
• Try getting nuts or high protein granola to snack on throughout the day.
• Replace some of your other liquids in your diet with water.
• Get D3 and Vitamin C

Sleep

How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

It will do nothing for your mood to be exhausted day after day from staying up too late or having an irregular sleep schedule. It’s a popular habit in college to stay up all night studying, drinking energy drink after energy drink, getting wired, then crashing hard. Manage your time so you don’t have to stay up the night before a test or project. Sleep is one of the most important things that will help your mood improve and raise your productivity.

Clean Environment

Did you make your bed this morning?

There’s not many situations that are more stressful than a dirty living area. That always-in-the-back-of-your-head feeling that you have more to do adds on to your anxiety quick, and soon starts effecting everything else in your life. Take a few minutes every morning to make your bed and tidy up so when you return at the end of the day, there is a clean space that you can relax in.

There are many things you can do regularly to create a life that fosters mental health. But what happens when these things don’t work, or your mental illness stops you from being able to accomplish these things? Tune in at the end of this week to talk about Medication.