Self-Care
What is Self-Care?
College can be very exciting, but it can also be stressful at times. Practicing self-care can help you manage the ups and downs of college life. Self-care refers to activities and practices that can help you to reduce your stress and enhance your overall well-being: essentially, proactively taking care of yourself. Research shows that self-care helps to keep you healthy, helps you recharge and helps to improve your overall well-being.
Self-care is more than an occasional treat, but a tool that incorporates practices and behaviors to help you feel refreshed, re-energized and rested. Self-care helps you deal with the daily stresses in your life—from academic pressures, to interpersonal relationships, to future plans and more.
Why Should I Make Time for Self-Care?
When it feels like your to do list is a mile long, it's easy to feel like you don't have time to practice self-care. Oftentimes we view self-care activities as not being productive, but it's important to shift this way of thinking by broadening what we view as productive. Studies show that prioritizing taking care of your mind and body helps you academically and personally in the long run.
How Can I Practice Self-Care?
There are lots of ways to practice self-care. What works for you may not work for someone else. The important thing is to find time to support your well-being. This could mean blocking off time on your calendar, finding small windows of time in your schedule or making self-care part of your daily routine. Here are some ideas for self-care:
- Sleep: Sleep is an important part of overall health and is closely linked to academic success. Information on how to get optimal sleep
- Nap: Napping throughout the day can improve energy levels. Check out UT's Nap Map to identify places on campus that are great for taking naps.
- Nourish your body: Eat food and snacks that make your body feel good. Stay hydrated by drinking water and other non-alcoholic beverages throughout the day.
- Move your body: Research shows that exercise can relieve stress, improve your mood and help you sleep better.
- Do something you love: Carve out time for your passions and hobbies, whether that's hiking, crafting, dancing, reading for fun, etc. Hobbies can provide you an outlet for managing stress and can increase happiness levels.
- Hang out with friends and family: Research shows that spending time with loved ones is the number one determinant of happiness. Take time to connect with a friend or a family member.
- Practice self-compassion: Self-compassion is treating yourself like you would treat your best friend. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you care about; replace self-critical thoughts with compassionate thoughts.
- Practice mindfulness: Being in the present moment can help to reduce stress. Practice mindfulness by noticing your five senses; what do you see, hear, taste, feel and smell right now? Learn more about mindfulness by visiting the mindful UT web page.
- Practice gratitude: One simple way to practice gratitude is by writing down 3 things you're grateful for every day. Remembering to find things, experiences and people in your life that you're grateful for can have powerful effects on your mood. Download our gratitude journal here to start a gratitude practice.
- Unplug from technology: Sometimes the best way to recharge is to take a break from technology. Downtime from technology replenishes the brain's stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity and provides time to rest.
- Practice deep breathing: Take five minutes to practice deep breathing. In just those few minutes you can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, thus lowering the physical effects of stress. Try a guided breathing exercise.
- Journaling: Journaling can have a lot of benefits. Writing can help you process your feelings, ignite creativity centers in the brain and help you be in the present moment. Take a few minutes each day to journal.
- Practice meditation: Taking a few minutes to clear your mind of various stressors can be a great way to practice self-care. Research shows that meditation can improve your focus, immunity and overall mental well-being.
- Spend time in nature: Research shows that spending time in nature can have remarkable benefits on well-being. Visit mindful UT’s Nature Rx map to find nature spots on campus. Students can rent tents and other gear from UT RecSports. RecSports also offers several outdoor adventure trips for students.