Being a college student means balancing between academics and social life. With a full schedule, managing stress and practicing self-care tend to fall by the wayside.
Research has shown that putting self-care into daily routine can reduce stress, decreases the chance of mental and physical ailment, increases productivity and inspires feelings of happiness, according to wanderlust.com.
To define what “self-care” is, PSUC junior nursing major Caitlyn Poleto said it is “doing things that makes you feel happy, relaxed and ready to take on responsibility.”
Being overwhelmed is a normal feeling for all college students. When stressed out, self-care is the way to go.
“Self-care” is just a few habits that are done in a daily routine.
PSUC junior nursing major Emily Haibon said self-care is “anything someone does for themselves in order to relax or de-stress.”
“It’s ways that people make themselves comfortable, like wearing their favorite outfit on a day they’re feeling a little crappy,” she said. “It’s also being able to take care of your body, whether an individual is sick or healthy.”
“Self-care” defined by Gracy Obuchowicz, a facilitator and self-care mentor and coach in Washington, D.C., “assumes that we’re OK as we are and we just need to take care of ourselves. Self-care alone is not enough. You need to have self-awareness too. Self-care plus self-awareness equals self-love,”, according to the Vermont Public Radio.
Haibon said self-care can also promote healthy coping habits.
As a nursing major, she recommended students should start to treat themselves better by doing something that makes them feel better and take their mind off of something that is stressing them out.
“Take walks, exercise, go to the health center when you feel sick, stay hydrated, eat at regular intervals, get sleep, take breaks from long periods of studying,” she said.
Just like other college students on campus, Haibon is stressed out by everything.
“As a person with an anxiety disorder, it’s really hard for me to fully relax sometimes, even if I’m doing something I enjoy doing,” she said. “The best thing for me is to take breaks and do little deep breathing exercises to help calm me down.”
Haibon said she always tries to practice self-care as much as she can.
“I always make sure I’m comfortable with what I’m wearing before I leave my room,” she said. “If I feel stressed, I watch my favorite TV show as a way to get my mind off of my stressor. I also do deep breathing exercises.”
Regular meditation and mindfulness practices may help ease anxiety, depression and pain, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
When it comes to relaxing, Haibon’s choice is to distract herself from negative things and hang out with her sorority sisters and her boyfriend.
Self-care is the key to improved physical and emotional health.
Sophomore nursing major Faith Nicoletti said self-care is “learning to put yourself first.”
“Sometimes, you just cannot put everybody before yourself,” she said. “Self-care is very mentally important.”
She suggested students should find something they love to do in order to release stress.
Email Hilly Nguyen at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
