As a college student, you probably have numerous things taking place in almost every aspect of your life. You have multiple tasks to juggle and a lot to maintain, which can be mind-boggling. On top of all these responsibilities that require your attention, you also have to grapple with social media pressures.
All these can make it challenging to navigate life, and it becomes super important to take a step back from the everyday day-to-day occurrences and practice some self-care. These practices can be helpful to your physical, social, mental wellbeing.
Here are the best self-care strategies to help you achieve a sense of peace, focus, and remain centered when a lot is going on.
Journaling
Journaling is an excellent way of dealing with hard times, and studies have shown that it can even get rid of depression. It helps you reflect and is a perfect way of getting things off your chest. By noting down your current situations or circumstances, you’ll have an easier time coming up with a plan for fixing whatever’s going on.
What’s more, when all the dust settles, you’ll sit down and go through your past journals and grin at how far you’ve come. This will give you a sense of fulfillment, which substantially impacts your health and wellness.
Reconnect with Friends
Most of the time, when you’re undergoing a difficult situation, you may not even desire to leave your college residence and talk to people. However, try as much as possible to reconnect with those who make you feel lively. Actively participating in your own social life can be an excellent way of dealing with depression.
Humans are social in nature. So it would help if you definitely had a community of some kind close by both during the good and the bad times.
Try Comfort Foods
Certain diets and foods have a substantial effect during depressing moments. For instance, you may decide to go the super healthy way and eat more greens. This can significantly impact your state of mind and health. You can also try out some foods with antidepressant qualities, and some in this list may surprise you. Numerous studies have shown that chocolate, coffee, or even tea can be great in dealing with depressing situations.
Remember to Take Deep Breaths
Often during complicated situations that are stressful or emotional, most people tend to hold their breaths instead of breathing in and out to add more air to their system and calm down. Besides nourishing your body with some fresh oxygen supply, deep breaths are also a way of relaxing and figuring out. So always remember to take that deep sigh whenever you feel like the residency personal statement assignment is driving you insane.
Take Part in Physical Activities
Most of the time, the most straightforward solutions can be the most effective. During hard times, one of the best ways to come is taking part in regular exercise. Exercises release dopamine, the feel-good hormone that can substantially cut your stress levels. Seeing the remarkable transformation that your body undergoes after a few days of physical exercise can also boost your morale and optimism. Besides dealing with stress, physical activity can also be great for your health.
Don’t Skip Meals
Understandably, stressful moments usually come with mild or severe loss of appetite. However, try as much as possible to clear your plate at all mealtimes. Skipping meals can be detrimental to your health and will make the hard times you’re going through even worse.
First, if you don’t eat, your blood sugar will reduce, and this hinders you from thinking straights. You may also feel mixed up and irritable, and you don’t need this during hard times. So, where possible, sit down and eat.
Humor
You’ve definitely heard that no medicine is more effective than laughter. Well, this may not be far from the truth. Some prolonged, quality laughter can be an excellent way to push through the hard times. So create time to watch that funny movie or attend a stand-up comedy event for some lengthy laughter and fun. Laughter releases endorphins and decreases stress hormones, among numerous other benefits.
Meditate
Depression can be treated in many ways, and psychotherapy and taking antidepressants are usually the first-line solutions for most people. However, scientific research has shown that meditation can significantly enhance your brain’s capability of dealing with anxiety and stress, which are the number one triggers of depression. It also transforms the way you respond to negative thoughts.
College life has its own challenges, and many things happening around you could lead to stressful moments. If you’re trying to cope with a hard time in uni, the above tips will help you manage the situation adequately
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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