Self-care comes in countless forms: maybe a spa day, a nice, long nap or even using that new hydrating face mask you’ve been meaning to try for months. However, self care is not one-size-fits-all. In honor of National Self-Care Awareness Month, here are some more tangible ways to take care of yourself—maybe they aren’t Instagram-worthy, but they can be incredibly effective:
1. Try meditation
Practicing mindfulness—even if it’s just for a minute before you go to sleep or after you get home from school—can help you relax and clear your mind. While it may be hard to focus at first, meditation can ground you.
By focusing on the present moment, it can help you reflect on your day and start new tasks with an open mind. At Northwood, you can meditate at The Well, a comforting environment with a variety of other self-care tools that can also help you unwind.
2. Write to your future self
Oftentimes, reflecting on your current accomplishments and establishing goals for your future self can help you recognize and value what is important to you. Self-reflection is a vital part of self-care because it allows you to comprehensively assess personal growth and successes.
Recording your current mood and feelings can help you further develop and learn how you are changing over time and adapting to your life. The Northwood Media Center has the perfect atmosphere on campus to self-reflect in privacy.
3. Soundscaping
Prioritizing yourself does not necessarily mean that you have to abandon your work. Setting up the perfect environment for yourself is critical to accomplishing your tasks and simultaneously developing the perfect atmosphere for productivity.
For example, you can often find aesthetically pleasing backgrounds set to calming music on YouTube that are perfect for studying or doing the things that you enjoy, whatever that might be. If your teacher permits, you can use soundscaping to craft an environment for yourself during independent work time.
4. Strive for runner’s high
For athletes who want to participate in self care but simultaneously want to exercise, pushing yourself to go on a run out in nature can induce “runner’s high,” where endorphins are released into the bloodstream and an incredibly liberating feeling cosumes your body.
This “high” can comfort athletes or anyone willing to push themselves to run to their limits. For example, Wolf Trail is a common route right around the corner from campus that you can use for a run.
5. Curate a playlist
By compiling a list of all your favorite songs on Spotify, you can fulfill your interests by catering to what soothes you the most. Sometimes, there is truly nothing better than laying in bed and drifting off to the sounds of your favorite genre of music.
It takes less than five minutes to make a playlist, so not only can crafting a playlist be relaxing, but it is also surprisingly efficient and can last as long as you would like. For playlist inspiration, you can find NHStwolves on Spotify.
6. Dream journaling
Although it is often construed as an activity centered around aesthetics and organization, dream journaling can be as simple as purchasing a small notebook and chronicling your dreams from the previous night. This can help you track your unconscious emotions over time and recognize patterns in your sleep cycle. You can find additional journaling supplies at The Well.
