When thinking of self-care, you most likely instantly imagine taking a bubble bath or putting on a refreshing face mask. However, self-care is actually more about forming healthy habits rather than treating yourself here and there when you have time! Junior Honors student, Katie Dickey, member of Active Minds and cofounder of Empathy Bound, says that “making time for self-care helps fend off burnout and empowers us to process and learn from our daily experiences, rather than just rushing through”. There are many ways to practice effective self-care, such as forming good sleep habits, participating in service events, and taking care of your brain. Here are a few ideas!

In order to start your morning feeling refreshed, it is very important to get at least 7 hours of sleep whenever possible. Try taking a warm shower or reading a chapter or two of a book every night before bed as this will not only help you relax, but also train your brain to associate these things with sleeping. And, although you might find yourself checking Tik-Tok or your email one last time before bed, do your best to resist the temptation because the blue light from your phone will trick your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. If you have trouble falling asleep, you could download an app such as Calm or White Noise Lite that plays peaceful sounds in place of counting sheep. Lastly, if you have a smart watch, try monitoring your sleep and rewarding yourself if you can get at least five days a week with 7 hours of sleep.

Giving back to the community is so fulfilling - and helping out others can be the perfect way to help yourself. Think of those five required service hours as a chance to practice some good old self-care. Dickey describes how, in order to feel more connected to her community, she will send a kind email to someone she is only acquainted with or give a painting to a friend. Luckily for us all, Honors offers service events each month, so you should have no problem finding a way to help our community flourish whether it’s writing the thank-you cards to Metz workers or participating in the Phone Buddy program to call elders in retirement homes who are likely a little lonely.  And best of all, as Dickey reminded us, though big events such as GIVE Day do have a perceptible impact, small acts of kindness are all it takes.

Lastly, while trying to balance homework, clubs, and athletics, make sure you can fit in some relaxation. There are many new apps that help assist in meditation or Youtube videos to guide beginners. If you’d prefer to meditate with others and enjoy a yummy smoothie, perhaps you should consider attending Smoothing the Soul, which is held at the Rec and Wellness Center. In order to give myself time to decompress, I have decided to make Saturdays a day of enjoyment - and no homework. Even if you can’t give yourself a whole day, you could reserve an hour or two each night for fun only, as it will give you something to work towards. If you would like to decompress with others, you could always have a weekly game night or movie night with your roomies so that you all can benefit.

Remember that you always have time for self-care and should try to incorporate it into your life. If you have to, try time blocking so that you can set time aside for these healthy habits that are about YOU and taking care of yourself long term. It’s time to welcome self-care  into your life as a permanent friend!