With midterms staring us down at the other end of the academic abyss, I decided that right about now would be a good time for a bit of self-care for this week. It’s easy to forget yourself in the midst of academic and personal life. Fortunately, not all of the following require having to throw money at it to take care of yourself.
1. Find ways to practice being “healthier”.
If you have a life where you’re taking care of your own kids and going to school, the stress will begin to build up. Drink more water. Meditate even for a few minutes a day. Wake up early enough to get in some alone time to yourself if that’s the only time you can get it in.
2. Wash your face.
This is especially important if your wear makeup on a daily basis. Leaving that makeup on your face all night only serves to clog your pores and eventually make it act up if not just break out. Sometimes even an occasional face mask can help, just throw it on to get one more thing done while waiting for it to dry.
3. Sleep in at least once a week.
Weekends are my frenemy because of this. I try to arrange my weekends where I’m not being hoarded by my family to sleep in. It’s important to refresh yourself from your busy day-to-day life.
4. Give yourself a pat on the back.
Sometimes it takes a lot in life to just get up. I love coming to UMass Boston, but I still have days where I’d rather not face the jerks on the commute and stay home. But I wake up at my usual 5:00 a.m. and once I’m dressed, I’m already feeling better about having so much as having gotten out of the door, period. Even if all you did today was one thing, go you! That’s trying. And it’s not failing if you’re still trying.
5. Unplug.
I have a beautiful shiny iPhone and I find myself enjoying not being tethered to it. Find some time out of the day not to be on the computer or phone even if it’s just to read a few pages or something that doesn’t require burning a screen through your retinas. Your eyes and brain will thank you for it later.