Kiara Bynum 

Self-care is essential in the stressful lives of students. But, as Dr. Diane L. Rosenbaum, an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at Penn State Abington says, “Definitions of what is effective self-care can vary across individuals.

Some activities like listening to mindfulness exercises could be soothing and relaxing for some, but less effective for other people. At its essence self-care is a set of behaviors aimed toward enhancing our well-being. Self-care can be particularly effective when it is used proactively to help maintain positive physical and emotional health. It can also be used to help with offsetting the negative effects of stress.”

Some preventative self-care tips can be basic, yet impactful and used while enduring stressful events such as preparing for test during midterms and finals week:

Prioritize Sleep

Prioritizing sleep in your daily life is important as it plays in part of your health and wellbeing. According to Live Well, a Penn State Abington site run by health experts, “We are better protected against physical and mental health risks when we get sufficient sleep.” Rosenbaum recommended these particular tips for Good Sleep Habits.  

1. Limit time awake in bed. If you’re not feeling sleepy and it’s been about 20 minutes or so of lying awake, get out of bed. The more you are awake in bed, the less your body is trained to realize that it’s supposed to fall asleep there.

 

2. Don’t use your bed for anything but sleep. Keeping with the logic described above, if you do things like homework, watch Netflix, or just hang out in bed, your body has a hard time knowing that it’s a place for sleep. To have improved sleep, the association between bed and sleep should be strong.

 

3. Stick to a set bedtime and wake time. Our bodies learn routines pretty well, so one of the best ways for your body to know when it’s time to sleep and time to wake up is if you do this at the same time every day – even if it’s a weekend or a day that you don’t normally get up early.

Build in relaxation breaks

The term “relaxing” can vary. Rosenbaum noted that “we often think about activities like taking a bath or meditating. These are great activities, but some people might find relaxation through other means, such as reading a funny book. There are also guided relaxation exercises that can help with quieting the mind and releasing physical tension.”

Physical activity

Lowering blood pressure, weight management, reduced risk of disease and increased energy, are what we think of when we hear “physical activity.”  The benefit of exercise has psychological benefits as well. “It doesn’t have to be an intense workout to be beneficial. Moving our bodies helps keep us in good physical condition and also can help serve as a stress reliever.” Noted Rosenbaum.

Eating Well

We find ourselves in being so overworked that we tend to neglect properly feeding our bodies which tend to impact energy levels. Rosenbaum mentioned that “It is harder to self-regulate when we are hungry. We can use preventative strategies like planning out nourishing meals and snacks for stressful days. Taking care of our bodies includes giving them the energy they need to thrive. Stress can impact eating behaviors for some people. In contrast, eating a variety of foods throughout the day helps us get our nutritional needs met.”