Students from all around have entered winter break; a time to relax, recharge and prepare for exams. Although it’s called a “break”, this time can be some of the most stressful for individuals. Especially with the uprise of cases in relation to the Omicron variant, and people panicking to start some Christmas shopping, the thought of “what can I do for myself?” doesn’t cross the mind. Self-care is important to self regulate, and this is the best time to just breathe. Therefore, here is a list of some self care practices that you should take some time to do.
Clean up
A cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind. When you have 3 piles of laundry sitting in a corner, random dirty plates in the sink, or simply unorganized files; it’s good to just tidy up. Certainly there’s a correlation to the environment you set yourself in, and the functionality of a human. Consequently, organization makes life easier. It creates a positive headspace, as you know where everything is. Oneself won’t need to scourge the monster pile of laundry for that one shirt. Start by marking dates in a calendar; do you have any appointments or parties to attend this month? Next, wash, vacuum, or just purge through what is and isn’t dirty. There you go! In addition to the past work you’ve done- clean up yourself.
Mirror Check
Equally as important as your physical environment- your mental state is crucial to take care of. Have a staring contest with yourself in the mirror. What grows inside of you comes out physically. Notice the eyebags from the recent stressful days and seasonal depression. At the same time as your staring contest, take a couple of deep breaths. Put on a facemask, take a long bath, and do whatever treatments your body needs, because this is the time for you to regenerate the self-love that is put into others this month.
Mental Reset
Mental fatigue is a drowning phenomenon, for students especially. Since youth nowadays basically breathe reused worksheets, and inaccurate textbooks; have a media detox. Start a new show on whatever streaming service you use, and tell everyone you know about it. Even taking the time to listen to that new album that your favorite artist dropped is perfect to just reset the mind. The main goal is to free the mind, and just to take a break.