Coming into university, many students don’t feel as though they have a full understanding of their mental health and how to ensure they are taking care of it. Mental wellbeing is how well a person can cope with the stresses, changes, and happenings of day-to-day life.
Mental health relates to so many different parts of your life and can be affected by internal and external factors, much like your physical health. As students are entering a new stage of life, one with a new schedule, stressors, pressures, commitments and constant change, sometimes it is important to learn new ways to treat yourself with compassion and care. There are simple things that you can do daily as a form of self-care to take care of your mental health and wellbeing.
Often these days we see a lot of social media praised self-care. But it's not always attainable to go for bi-weekly manicures, massages and big retail therapy trips. We know that as students it can be too time-consuming as well as expensive to participate in social media praised self-care. This is not to say that those activities are not relaxing or fun activities to do, but as a student whose mental wellbeing might already be affected by financial stressors, there are always other options!
Self-care for students of a budget
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Drink a cup of tea
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Go on a walk
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Read a book that interests you (yes, even if it is 5 pages)
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Try journaling - write down your worries and gratitude's so you can reflect
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Call up a friend and share a laugh or two (or cry, depending on the exam)
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Get in a quick workout – you can find lots on YouTube
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Try challenging yourself a little by trying something new like painting
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Take a power nap when you feel drained (15-20 minutes)
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Eat your favourite dessert while watching an episode of your favourite show
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Do yoga or meditation
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Take a warm bath and use some of your favourite essential oils or bath salts
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Light your favourite candle
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Limit your screen time before bed
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Say “no” to things you don't feel you have the capacity for
