The beginning of October means midterm season is here, and the stress is enough to send even the best students scrambling. As mentioned in our last blog post, college can be a stressful time for students from all different walks of life; 45% of students list stress as a factor in seeking out counseling.
But what about students who don't feel the need to seek out formal counseling, or those who are unable to access those services for any number of reasons? Whether you seek mental health assistance or not, taking care of yourself and managing stress is incredibly important. Although it may not seem like a big deal to push through stress and handle it on your own, stressors can compound over time and cause chronic stress which according to the American Psychological Association, "may also cause disease, either because of changes in your body or the overeating, smoking and other bad habits people use to cope with stress." It's not just in the long run, either: multiple studies have shown that intense acute stress can can trigger heart attacks or even sudden death. While that's the absolute worst-case scenario and not likely to happen, stress puts your body in an almost constant "fight or flight" state -- which is helpful in an emergency, but neither fun or healthy in a long term. This is where the importance of self-care comes in.
Self-care has been a bit of a buzzword across the internet in the past couple years, almost becoming synonymous with over-the-top pampering. A quick glance at the #selfcare tag on Instagram reveals pictures of perfectly applied face masks, impressive yoga poses in front of beautiful backgrounds, and videos of bath bombs swirling in candlelit tubs. Turn to Google and headlines such as The Millennial Obsession with Self-Care and Is Self-Care The Ultimate in Millennial Narcissism or a Healthy Habit?Yes. run rampant in the search results. The misconceptions surrounding self-care can lead to avoidance, especially when it comes to the former -- when an individual's only idea of self-care invokes these images, it can be off-putting to those (for example) who can't afford to pamper themselves in such a manner or who don't identify with the hyper-femininity that is usually tied to the concept.
In reality, self-care can take many forms. In honor of both Wellness Wednesday and World Mental Health Day, let's discuss some of the different ways to practice accessible self-care:
But what about students who don't feel the need to seek out formal counseling, or those who are unable to access those services for any number of reasons? Whether you seek mental health assistance or not, taking care of yourself and managing stress is incredibly important. Although it may not seem like a big deal to push through stress and handle it on your own, stressors can compound over time and cause chronic stress which according to the American Psychological Association, "may also cause disease, either because of changes in your body or the overeating, smoking and other bad habits people use to cope with stress." It's not just in the long run, either: multiple studies have shown that intense acute stress can can trigger heart attacks or even sudden death. While that's the absolute worst-case scenario and not likely to happen, stress puts your body in an almost constant "fight or flight" state -- which is helpful in an emergency, but neither fun or healthy in a long term. This is where the importance of self-care comes in.
Self-care has been a bit of a buzzword across the internet in the past couple years, almost becoming synonymous with over-the-top pampering. A quick glance at the #selfcare tag on Instagram reveals pictures of perfectly applied face masks, impressive yoga poses in front of beautiful backgrounds, and videos of bath bombs swirling in candlelit tubs. Turn to Google and headlines such as The Millennial Obsession with Self-Care and Is Self-Care The Ultimate in Millennial Narcissism or a Healthy Habit?Yes. run rampant in the search results. The misconceptions surrounding self-care can lead to avoidance, especially when it comes to the former -- when an individual's only idea of self-care invokes these images, it can be off-putting to those (for example) who can't afford to pamper themselves in such a manner or who don't identify with the hyper-femininity that is usually tied to the concept.
In reality, self-care can take many forms. In honor of both Wellness Wednesday and World Mental Health Day, let's discuss some of the different ways to practice accessible self-care:
1. Say "no" to something (or somethings) that have been stressing you out.
It's unfortunately become commonplace in our society to not only award the ability to overwork ourselves, but to actively encourage it. In college students, this is seen in a willingness to pull all-nighters to cram for exams, to hold internships and jobs while also being a full-time student, or to involve themselves in enough extracurriculars that they barely have time to breathe. Often times, we're reluctant to say no, to turn down an opportunity even it means adding a considerable amount of stress to our already packed plates. "What I do is politely decline a night out with friends," says college student Casey, 19. "I need to care for myself before I can hang out with others." By allowing your self to say "no" to taking on additional projects or responsibilities -- or sometimes even social events -- you're giving yourself an opportunity to focus on caring for yourself or just being able to take a breath before conquering necessary tasks.
2. Take some time for "me-time."
Even though as students our schedules fill up quickly, try to pencil in some free time to do something for yourself that you enjoy. "[Self-care to me is] creating creative content that is entirely my own," says Isabel, 20, a multimedia production major. Though trying to fit something you enjoy between the chaos of classes, work schedules, and social commitments seems nearly impossible and almost frivolous, it doesn't mean that it's not beneficial. Taking time to pursue a hobby, work on a skill, or even just to catch up on your sleep can help improve your mood and help you feel refreshed (even if only emotionally) to tackle everything on your to-do list.
3. Do some deep breathing exercises.
As calming and meditative as yoga can be, it's not accessible for everyone -- there are individuals who can't afford to take classes and learn the proper form, some who are physically unable to safely participate, and others who simply can't fit time in their day for a physical workout. Deep breathing exercises can achieve the same result, can be done in a few minutes at the library or one's desk, and since we live in the digital age, can easily be found on Youtube. Taking even a couple minutes to breathe and even meditate can help destress, calm, and refocus you without ever having to step away from anything else you might be doing.
4. Hit the unfollow button.
In this day and age, there's a constant pressure to be connected with just about everyone that you've ever known. That includes family you might not get along with, or other members of your high school graduating class that you don't even really know but accepted their friend request anyway. And of course, there's nothing wrong with having a large group of connections on social media...but what about when it stresses you out? It's entirely okay to unfriend or unfollow connections on social media if it's making your mental health take a hit. You aren't obligated to be Facebook friends with anyone -- and the same goes for mutual follows on Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram -- so if someone on social media is consistently stressing you out, hitting the unfollow button can most definitely be self-care.
5. Practice being kind to yourself.
When things are hectic, sometimes it's far too easy to be unkind to ourselves. We have the tendency to be our own worst critics, and doubly so when we're going through particularly stressful time. During these times, it can be especially useful to practice a bit of extra mental kindness to yourself. One way to do this is with affirmations -- positive phrases, such as my strength is greater than any struggle or I know my worth, for repeating to yourself in an act of self encouragement and support. Another is self-love exercises, such as making a list of your favorite things about yourself or trying to care for yourself the way you care for others. Not only can these help you de-stress right away, but the hope is that you'll feel better about yourself in the long-run too.
This is only a short list of potential ways to practice self-care. There's no "right" way to practice it, and caring for yourself looks different for everybody. No matter how you do it, it's important to remember: you are the only you that you have, and caring for yourself is not selfish.
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