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The Season of Self-Care

by Brooke Elwell


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Graphic by Melissa Lemieux

As the seasons change from summer to fall, we transition to a semester of new beginnings. Whether it's your first time away from home, or your third year returning to the same apartment, we're all tackling new classes, new work, and new things added to our plate. It's natural to be overwhelmed and stressed, but with the new season, there is room for new habits. 


Many people say self-care is how we can best de-stress, but what does that look like? Personally, if I'm worried about the ten assignments I have due in one night, sitting and doing a face mask isn't going to make me feel better. Self-care can be defined as the practice of taking action in protecting one's well-being and happiness, typically during periods of stress (Oxford English Dictionary). What are some examples of ways we can take action to protect our own well-being and put in a daily, conscious effort to better prepare our future selves? 


The first step in creating your personal self-care regimen is to ask yourself: “What little inconveniences disrupt my peace on busy days?” For me, I found that if my laptop was on low power, my headphones were dead, or I got hungry and didn’t have time to get food, my day would become far more challenging and I would become irritated. I decided to implement new habits for myself this fall to try and prevent these annoyances: packing my bag and charging all of my electronics every night before bed. This way, I can ensure I’ll be prepared for class and I have snacks if I need them between back-to-back lectures, thus making my day more peaceful as I manage my busy schedule.


However, not all of these situations may apply to you. Maybe if you hate being late, you wake up fifteen minutes earlier to allow time to walk to class. If you’re overwhelmed with tasks for the week, schedule them into your Google Calendar to ensure you have adequate time for everything on your plate. This isn’t about being “productive,” it is about seeing these actions as less of a chore but more as a habit of self-care and self-love.


When you make your bed in the morning or clean your room at night, you enter a clean space knowing you were the person who cared enough to put that effort in. When your laptop is charged all day, and you come to class with all of your work done, you know you cared enough to prepare in advance. You can do little actions for yourself, and when you reap the rewards, a stronger relationship grows between you and yourself. 


Take care of yourself this semester. Sometimes life gets demanding, and we have to adapt. Create one new habit this fall that sets you up for success, and while you harvest the benefits, take the time to thank yourself for caring about yourself.

Works Cited

“Self-care, N.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, July 2023, 

 
 
 

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