The Benefits of Self-Care

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Unlocking the Benefits of Self-Care as an Overwhelmed University Student

When I decided to take the leap to return to university, I had some grandiose plans. I created a spreadsheet to help me balance my budget and time while still sticking to my current commitments. Easy peasy! Right?

I was a single mother, so not taking on a lot of debt was really important to me. I planned to cut out all my extraneous spending and put that towards paying my tuition in cash. The thought of accumulating tens of thousands of dollars in student loans was just something I could not get behind.

Instead, I said a tearful goodbye to my hairdresser. We dyed my hair back to its usual chestnut and coloured over my highlights. Next, I removed my eyelash extensions. While I have never been a big “make-up girl,” my falsies always make me feel effortlessly beautiful. Like I rolled out of bed and was already put together. They made me feel amazing.

Finally, I gave up my manicure. I had a ton of nail polish at home. I could forego the bi-weekly spa trips and do it myself, right?

At the time, these sacrifices seemed like the logical choice. I was spending a ton of money on what seemed like vanity costs that could be spent on my education. I didn’t realize that I was setting myself up for disaster.

My first year at university was bittersweet. I loved this new journey that I was on but quickly realized that I had underestimated the time commitment it required. I realized I was becoming overwhelmed, but I had to push through.

Juggling the responsibilities of being a single mom, working a full-time job, and still finding time to attend classes and study pulled me thinner than I ever could have imagined. Soon, I stopped doing my nails, became a pony-tail princess, and really started neglecting myself.

The more stressed and overwhelmed I felt about juggling all my assignments and commitments, the more I tried to double down and focus harder. This only created a vicious cycle, quickly leading to depression and increasingly amplified anxiety. I was scraping the bottom of the tank, and there was no end in sight.

The piece I was missing had literally been all over my face just a matter of months ago. I had completely cut out and neglected my self-care routine. I no longer indulged in anything that refuelled my tank or made me feel worthy. Without making the effort to take time out for myself, I was doing very real damage to my mental and emotional health.

While I clearly had to learn the hard way, today, I want to lead you through the benefits of self-care, especially as an overwhelmed university student. We will unpack the impact on your health, discuss some strategies that might fit your lifestyle, and talk about where to start when building your own self-care routine.

One simple way to avoid all of this overwhelm in student life is to set SMART, achievable goals in all areas of your life. If this is something that you struggle with, pick up my free goal-setting workbook. It will lead you through setting both monthly and weekly goals to help you make real progress and stay on track. For extra accountability, you can also join me for live weekly goal-setting sessions on my YouTube channel. Download your copy here.

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Understanding Self-Care

Self-care can be anything you do to set time aside to take care of yourself and recharge your battery. While many people picture skin care and spa days as the epitome of self-care, it is actually highly dependent on your preferences, lifestyle, and the particular type of stress you’re under.

Many people avoid acts of self-care because they are often viewed as “selfish” or “overly indulgent,” but that is simply not true. Dispelling the stigma surrounding taking a moment to focus on yourself might be the toughest hurdle to get over, but it will help you significantly in your academic journey.

Myth 1: Self-care is selfish.

It is easy to draw this conclusion. Setting time aside to focus on yourself and seemingly ignoring all of your responsibilities and obligations can feel counterproductive. There are always looming due dates and a to-do list a mile long. These things can’t get done while painting your nails or doing the downward dog.

The truth is that these acts help to fill your focus tank. You become more productive when you are well taken care of physically, emotionally, and mentally. It’s easier for you to concentrate and cross items off that list faster than you would, running on empty.

Myth 2: Self-care is a luxury for those with ample free time.

Creating a simple and effective self-care routine does not have to span an entire day. Once you identify the activities that best suit you and make you feel good about yourself, they can be added to your daily and weekly routine without upending your entire schedule.

Self-care is going to look different for everyone. It will not always be a $ 1,000 shiatsu massage from a silent monk with an optional exfoliating scrub and dead sea salt peel. Instead, look for activities that speak to you. What is your favourite hot beverage on a cool day? Can you take a walk in the crisp fall morning to pick one up before a hectic day? Do they also carry the best cinnamon rolls in town?

You deserve these simple pleasures. Believe it. Claim it. Enjoy it.

Myth 3: Self-care requires expensive treatments or activities.

Because self-care routines are as unique as you are, so are the price tags. You don’t have to sacrifice half your budget to self-care if you can’t afford it. There are always budget-friendly activities that can suit any lifestyle.

If you are the active type, opt for an in-home Yoga session on YouTube. You can also choose to go for a walk or even try out a new recipe if you love to bake.

If skincare is more your thing, bring the spa home. Many stores sell sample-size kits or try a subscription box if you love to switch it up. They usually give a fairly generous amount of several products to experiment with before committing to a hefty price tag.

Myth 4: Self-care is a one-size-fits-all concept.

Self-care routines are not only unique to you as a person. They are also unique to the situation you are trying to unwind from. The same acts of self-care will not always work in every circumstance or resolve every type of stress. This is the beauty of taking time out for yourself, the variance and experimentation you can introduce into your life.

You may not choose the same activities to unwind after a marathon study session for a huge exam as you would for something else. In those cases, you might just turn off your brain, lay in bed, and comfort-watch your favourite series.

On the other hand, on the morning of that same exam, you might want to psych yourself up. That could be the perfect opportunity for a calming walk to clear your mind, a hot chai latte, and that amazing cinnamon bun to get your focus on. Finally, after the exam, you may want to grab lunch with a friend and vent all about the impossible trick questions the professor thought they got over on you. Maybe you even go for a hike or hit the gym to release some of that anxious energy.

Each of these are examples of a different type of self-care. They all help you to unwind and refuel in their own way. Only you will know what you need to let off some steam, and it’s okay to experiment and switch it up.

The Benefits of Self-Care for Students

University life can be exhilarating, but it often comes with a whirlwind of academic, social, and personal demands. As a student, you’re navigating a unique phase of life where the pursuit of knowledge and personal growth can sometimes feel overwhelming. Throw in all the extra obligations of work and family life, and burnout is sure to follow. Trying to justify finding time to take away from all these demands to look inward can be difficult.

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Amid lectures, assignments, and extracurricular activities, it’s easy to neglect the most crucial component of your journey: you. Carving out time to care for yourself can be hindered by guilt and shame. It can be hard to justify both the time and money investments it takes to get you feeling like yourself. Sometimes, you need to see that list of pros lined out for you. So, let’s embark on this journey of understanding how prioritizing self-care can lead to a healthier, happier, and more successful student life.

Improved Mental Health

It has been proven time and time again that self-care has a positive impact on mental health. This is not just in the moment but prolonged past the individual acts and amplified over time.

Studies show that practicing self-care can reduce symptoms of both anxiety and depression. This can be helpful, even for students without a clinical diagnosis. The pressure of getting good grades and sticking to strict deadlines is undeniable in university. Proactively taking care of your mental health by incorporating simple self-care strategies can go a long way in keeping you on track.

Enhanced Focus and Productivity

Practicing good self-care can boost both your concentration and cognitive function. This can be a game-changer for struggling students. You are expected to absorb and understand mountains upon mountains of facts, processes, and procedures over several courses simultaneously. This spans numerous disciplines over multiple semesters.

Most students look at this challenge and begin to double down when they hit the brain fog. I know that’s what I did. We try to study harder, deeper, and longer in an effort to push through all of the material, and often end up frustrated and burnt out. The idea of taking a break and refuelling the tank often does not even cross our mind. Instead, regularly investing in self-care can increase and optimize our cognitive function, helping us take in and retain information better.

Physical activity is an excellent example of this. It will get your blood pumping, flooding your brain with oxygen and boosting your energy, making you more alert and better focused. This, in turn, leads to better cognitive function and concentration.

Daydreaming is also a surprisingly beneficial task. It allows your brain to switch to diffuse mode, tapping into creative thinking and often finding untraditional solutions to common problems. This is a fantastic way of resting the focused part of your brain while still developing unorthodox answers.

Better Time Management

Taking time out for self-care may seem counterintuitive to improved time management, but let me explain. When you routinely practice self-care, you can work with a higher focus and concentration. It will also help you to avoid burnout and overwhelm. That means when these feelings do start creeping in, you will be more aware of them.

Recognizing when your concentration begins to slip is crucial to disengaging from a task before you start to waste time. This way, you are only using your best focus on tasks that require action or critical thinking. As soon as your mind starts to wander and you begin to grow sluggish, you can switch your focus to something else. Changing tasks can often reignite interest or give your brain the rest it needs before finishing up what you were originally doing.

Time blocking is also an excellent practice if you fall into the habit of just trying to push through. It sets up distinct chunks of time throughout the day to work on specific tasks. Having a definite start and end time for any job you are working on is a great way to avoid that brain fog during tasks that seem to drag on. It also allows you to better visualize and distribute your time throughout the day to balance all your obligations.

If you are hesitant to commit time to your self-care routine, time blocking is a simple way to start. Begin by ear-marking small amounts of time, 5 or 10 minutes, throughout the day to things like drinking a cold glass of water or washing your face. These simple acts take nearly no time but have a definite impact on our sense of self. Best of all, they are free and make an excellent transition task between study activities.

If you struggle to create a balanced schedule that allows you to commit to these pockets of self-care while still addressing all your academic obligations, check out the Time Management Challenge and the Mastering Self Care as a Busy Student Masterclasses in the Absolutely Studying Academy. These classes have everything you need to create a routine that keeps you feeling great and a schedule that actually allows you to lead a balanced study life. You can learn more about the Absolutely Studying Academy here.

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Reduced Stress and Anxiety

It has long since been proven that acts of self-care can significantly reduce the amount of stress and anxiety experienced by students. Something as simple as incorporating a mindfulness practice, such as meditation or yoga, as little as once a week can greatly decrease the amount of stress and anxiety experienced by college and university students.

Many mindfulness techniques can be incorporated into your routine, even with a modest time and money commitment. There are thousands of yoga sessions available on YouTube for free to get you started. You can also access guided meditation sessions for nearly anything. Finally, picking up a journal at the dollar store can be another simple and cost-effective way to practice mindfulness.

Journalling has always been intimidating for me. I’ve always wanted to start a journal, but then I will sit there for what feels like hours with nothing to write. My insecurities around my own self-importance always make me feel ashamed for wanting to record my every step. If you have a similar love-hate relationship with journals, a gratitude journal is a great place to start. You can also try just writing a line a day. These are easy, low-commitment gateway journals that can help you get started.

Improved Physical Health

Engaging in regular self-care has been proven to both prevent and reduce a myriad of chronic health conditions. As students, we often overlook the long-term impacts of pushing through those marathon study sessions and dragging our bodies through boatloads of stress hormones. The effects of both can be pretty detrimental in the long term.

Finding ways to make simple changes to allow for adequate sleep, a more balanced diet and even a bit of exercise can really improve your overall quality of life. While most students would not immediately consider these practices self-care, they definitely qualify. Finding ways to allow time for some of these simple habits in your schedule will make it easier to incorporate them into your days or weeks.

Blocking off time in your day for deliberate morning and evening routines helps you maintain control of your time. You can establish consistent wake-up and bedtimes, keeping you rested and on a consistent sleep schedule. This also allows you to start each morning off right by having a regular routine that helps you prepare for whatever the day is going to throw at you.

Incorporating simple acts of self-care is all about consistency. Nearly anything that brings you joy or centers your focus can be used as a simple self-care activity. This is a great place to start if your main mental block is the time, money, or selfishness factor.

Self-care is an investment in your body and your future. Starting early, before you experience burnout, can honestly make it much more likely for you to accomplish everything you set out to achieve without the exhaustion felt by most students.

This is not to say that you will never feel overwhelmed, but having the resources to recognize the symptoms, set boundaries, reassess your habits, and take care of yourself will significantly diminish the impacts of the burnout you will experience.

Where to start with self-care

When starting on your self-care journey, start small. Begin by taking an audit of your current self-care practices and making a commitment to continue them. Schedule time throughout your day to intentionally devote yourself to simple self-care acts. If you are crunched for time, your evening routine is often an easy place to start.

Try adding a short 3-step skincare routine using a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and rotating between a mask or an exfoliator. You can also add 15 minutes of reading before bed or writing in your gratitude journal. This entire routine can take as little as 30 minutes but will have a lasting impact on your well-being.

Starting with small commitments like this can help greatly with the guilt of self-care. It often stems from feeling undeserving of this kind of commitment. These issues are usually deeply rooted in childhood or trauma. They are not easily overcome with a handwave or a blog post. However, repeated, consistent acts of self-care can begin to address that guilt.

When you care for yourself, you send a message that you ARE deserving. By going through the acts of a deserving person, your brain will begin to rewire itself and enjoy these activities. Soon, because you are telling yourself you deserve this, you will start believing it.

This journey, just like any other, will not be devoid of roadblocks. There will be times when you encounter setbacks, but consistency is key. Staying mindful of how you spend your time not only on your schoolwork but also on yourself will help you to continue to make progress in both your studies and your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Self-care is simply a conduit to this result.

If you want to start your self-care journey, pick up my FREE Goal-Setting Workbook. It will help you set weekly and monthly goals that will incorporate simple activities into your schedule to keep you feeling great. You can also join my weekly live streams on the Absolutely Studying YouTube Channel to hold you accountable for achieving those goals. Pick up your copy here.

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