Practicing self care if you dare | The Triangle

Practicing self care if you dare

Photograph courtesy of Riccardo Bresciani at Pexels

The end of the quarter is fast approaching. It has been an overwhelming sophomore year so far for me, and it is only halfway over. Being a college student and going through one of the most stressful times of my life has made me realize how important it is to take care of myself.

College can make life extremely tiring. So far this year, all of my classes have been very demanding, and I’ve had to dedicate plenty of time to each of them. This is pretty typical of being a student, but it doesn’t mean that it is always easy to handle.

Overall, people always need to set aside time to take care of themselves. It is easy to forget this, since most people are kept busy with several other responsibilities.

I struggle with self-care; I am a very busy person and I never really find it important to take time to make me feel better about myself. However, I realized that I feel my worst when I am not looking after my appearance and health.

At the beginning of the fall quarter, I broke my arm, which was the first of many challenges I faced this year. I had to miss a few classes for doctor appointments, and it inconvenienced me in many ways.

I felt guilty that this injury was taking me away from plenty of time I could spend doing work or being social, but I had to accept that I had to let myself heal. I caught up on everything I missed in my classes and focused completely on my work, instead of feeling sorry for myself.

Many people are fine with dedicating hundreds of hours of their lives to their jobs, but not with taking some time to take care of themselves. Missing out on a few hours of pay may be disappointing, but being unhealthy is even worse.

Much of what has happened to me, including my injury, has helped me see that it is crucial that I focus on my wellbeing. After my arm healed, I felt that I would be able to handle any challenge I would face in the future.

The thought of having responsibilities honestly terrifies me. My homework often gets very challenging, I have a job and I have to worry about what I am going to do with my life.

Spending time alone and relaxing the mind and body is the best way to set aside everything that is overwhelming for a small amount of time. People need to give their brains a break and find what will relax them. Simple actions like painting my nails or trying a new face mask help put me at ease when I have time for myself.

I think I usually feel guilty about taking time for myself because I always procrastinate and never leave myself much time to do anything. It is important that I always prioritize my school work above anything else, but I also can’t constantly feel bad about taking extra time to do my hair and put on makeup or decorate my room because it makes me feel at ease.

Having people who care about you will also help you remember to look after yourself. Friends and family are always a great source of this support. My mom motivates me to take care of myself, because she would be extremely upset if she knew I didn’t at all times. She would absolutely freak out if she even knew that I didn’t always take the time to eat breakfast.

I am working on feeling less guilty for taking time to focus on my wellbeing rather than stressing myself out over homework all day.

Different commitments and responsibilities in life give people a great sense of purpose, but among it all, everybody needs to remember to take care of themselves.