With school right around the corner, stress levels are slowly rising, and the dread of feeling buried under endless responsibilities is slowly creeping closer. It becomes easy to forget to eat dinner, use the restroom, and sleep when you have five homework assignments due at the same time, on top of studying for a midterm. The key to battling the horrendous feeling of drowning is to make time for self care.
1. Get enough sleep.
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This is self explanatory, and I am sure you hear it from someone at least once a day. Sleep is crucial for your body to rest and balance itself. According to William Dement, M.D., Ph.D at Stanford University, college students need well over eight hours of sleep a night. I know for a fact that I personally do not achieve this number nightly, but when I do on a consistent basis, I feel 10 times better than usual. Not only that, but make sleep enjoyable. Invest in a nice mattress topper, and something you can sleep comfortably in.
2. Download a meditation app.
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Meditation is something that I am slowly incorporating into my daily life. There are many apps out there that can be downloaded to do this. One that I have found to be a favorite is Headspace. There are many meditation classes to choose from, or you can even listen to your basic white noise. Fortunately, there is a student discount to get a year subscription for only 10 dollars.
3. Pamper yourself after a long day.
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At the end of a long week, take a few hours for a DIY spa night. You can do a face mask, take a hot bubble bath, read and drink a cup of tea. Spice these things up with rolling your face, adding epsom salts to the bath, and making your cup of tea into a latte. Your DIY spa night does not have to look like this, but if you need any ideas, click here.
4. Exercise on a regular basis.
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This one is common sense, but exercising on a regular basis decreases stress levels. Not only that, but it helps create a more positive and healthy lifestyle! There is no one way to exercise. You can run, lift weights, attend workout classes, or even dance in your room.I enjoy lifting weights three times a week and taking a spin class twice a week.
5. Do a social media detox.
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Have you ever looked at your screen time on your cell phone? There have been many times when I have been horrified at the amount of screen time I have had in one day. Most of my screen time is on social media too. I find social media to increase my stress throughout the school year. I have a hard time seeing influencers having fun while I am buried in books at my desk. It is important to remove yourself from that for an hour every day to take time to reflect on yourself. I have a much better relationship with myself and school when I do this.
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