Self-care, in short, and self-explanatory, is attending to the needs of the self. Whether you're a student, a professional, or basically if you're a human, you'll have the tendency to think about catering to your own needs. Now, this must not be misinterpreted with "selfishness." It is completely different from self-care.
Self-care is simple when put forward as a theory, but is often overlooked when in practice. For instance, we have burnouts after a long drawn process of completing a task, but we don't consider the need to recover our mindset before actually moving on with the next project. The simple steps we take in the gap between the termination and inauguration of tasks is termed as self-care.
Self-care is not recreation.
Most people, (I'm included as well) think of self-care as a recreational activity. But, self-care requires time, and not to forget, your brain's attention. It helps you to take off thoughts that have been accumulating in your brain, and it also helps in decluttering information that has piled up. Literally, you don't have to remember what you ate three days ago while solving your homework, right?
Self-care for students. Why is it necessary?
Students, of all types of people that exist, are prone to many faces of the society at the same time. Especially if a student is too sociable, or more of an introvert, he/she will surely experience various dimensions of the society. (Life isn't easy for both the types ) If you do strike a balance between those two, well then! you've mastered self-care. If not, practicing a few techniques that hardly require ten minutes of your day, can make a great impact on your mindset.
Do remember, self-care is not only about having a perfect skincare routine or a systematic workout routine. (Though I do agree both of those are important, they're not the only ones.) These are the three aspects of self-care that induced a change in my routine.
1. Maintaining a Journal:
This is not as fancy as it sounds. You do not have to learn calligraphy or have the best handwriting to make journals like the ones that show up in #bulletjournalling. All you need is a pen and a piece of paper. If you're someone who would look back to reflect, then I recommend using a notebook. Filling it out, again, is your choice. You can jot down descriptions, or some points with colourful bulletins (hence the fancy name:)) or write a detailed entry on your experiences. No one will judge you, and it's a great place to leave your thoughts.
2. Positive Affirmations:
This is a very important aspect of student self-care. The motivation that comes from within will last longer than acquired motivation. Positive affirmations will have a great impact on your mood and motivation level, though it may sound a little silly. For instance, I'm being honest, I am terrible at sports. But, when I saw a video that explained the pros of positive affirmations, I decided to give it a shot. And, I have climbed all my way to a B in the final physical test from an E! Even though a few of our goals are externally influenced, having a positive mindset can help in reducing stress.
3. Time is everything:
Maybe not. Speaking of stress, it arises because of two things; the applied external force is too much, or the unit area is too small. In most cases, the latter prevails. Proper planning and spacing of activities can help to reduce stress. It also gives you a lot of free time, which allows you to explore many new prospects of life. Life is all about learning new stuff, right? (At least in a student's perspective) This can give you a space to expand your mastery over other skills, improve your hobbies, or catching up with the world, or anything you want to do.
Changes are slow, inevitable, but they can have a huge impact. Although my planning skills are poor, I'm getting better at it. So this exam season, let us put all those external factors aside, and hit the target with only our best input. There'll be a desirable output for sure, as the momentum is always conserved :)
Self-care is simple when put forward as a theory, but is often overlooked when in practice. For instance, we have burnouts after a long drawn process of completing a task, but we don't consider the need to recover our mindset before actually moving on with the next project. The simple steps we take in the gap between the termination and inauguration of tasks is termed as self-care.
Self-care is not recreation.
Most people, (I'm included as well) think of self-care as a recreational activity. But, self-care requires time, and not to forget, your brain's attention. It helps you to take off thoughts that have been accumulating in your brain, and it also helps in decluttering information that has piled up. Literally, you don't have to remember what you ate three days ago while solving your homework, right?
Self-care for students. Why is it necessary?
Students, of all types of people that exist, are prone to many faces of the society at the same time. Especially if a student is too sociable, or more of an introvert, he/she will surely experience various dimensions of the society. (Life isn't easy for both the types ) If you do strike a balance between those two, well then! you've mastered self-care. If not, practicing a few techniques that hardly require ten minutes of your day, can make a great impact on your mindset.
Do remember, self-care is not only about having a perfect skincare routine or a systematic workout routine. (Though I do agree both of those are important, they're not the only ones.) These are the three aspects of self-care that induced a change in my routine.
1. Maintaining a Journal:
This is not as fancy as it sounds. You do not have to learn calligraphy or have the best handwriting to make journals like the ones that show up in #bulletjournalling. All you need is a pen and a piece of paper. If you're someone who would look back to reflect, then I recommend using a notebook. Filling it out, again, is your choice. You can jot down descriptions, or some points with colourful bulletins (hence the fancy name:)) or write a detailed entry on your experiences. No one will judge you, and it's a great place to leave your thoughts.
2. Positive Affirmations:
This is a very important aspect of student self-care. The motivation that comes from within will last longer than acquired motivation. Positive affirmations will have a great impact on your mood and motivation level, though it may sound a little silly. For instance, I'm being honest, I am terrible at sports. But, when I saw a video that explained the pros of positive affirmations, I decided to give it a shot. And, I have climbed all my way to a B in the final physical test from an E! Even though a few of our goals are externally influenced, having a positive mindset can help in reducing stress.
3. Time is everything:
Maybe not. Speaking of stress, it arises because of two things; the applied external force is too much, or the unit area is too small. In most cases, the latter prevails. Proper planning and spacing of activities can help to reduce stress. It also gives you a lot of free time, which allows you to explore many new prospects of life. Life is all about learning new stuff, right? (At least in a student's perspective) This can give you a space to expand your mastery over other skills, improve your hobbies, or catching up with the world, or anything you want to do.
Changes are slow, inevitable, but they can have a huge impact. Although my planning skills are poor, I'm getting better at it. So this exam season, let us put all those external factors aside, and hit the target with only our best input. There'll be a desirable output for sure, as the momentum is always conserved :)
Comments
Post a Comment