Self-care

Self-care is a term that refers to anything you choose to do that is a step towards taking care of your physical, mental or emotional health. Practising self-care is a key aspect to keeping yourself productive, motivated and happy while on a busy schedule like the one typically present at uni. Self-care can be as small as trying to accept you needed more sleep when you had that nap rather than being annoyed at yourself for not keeping on working, or as large as deciding to set aside a few hours to make yourself a blanket fort and watch a movie in it. It can be easy to get wrapped up in everything you need to get done, and it is hard to notice or accept when you really need a break. When you are feeling run down, let yourself take some time out to look after yourself, because you deserve it!

Practising self-care is a key aspect to keeping yourself productive, motivated and happy

Writing down some “recipes”for self-care can help a lot, and can also serve as work-motivators because you can give yourself a target and then a self-care based reward afterwards. To get you started, here are some self-care “recipes” I like to use, ranging from the simple to the lovely-yet-elaborate.

Relaxing cinnamon and nutmeg drink

1. Take your favourite mug and fill the kettle.
2. Take a small teaspoon of cinnamon powder and a smaller teaspoon of nutmeg powder/mace and put in mug, with a generous squeeze of honey.
3. Fill mug up to halfway with boiled water and stir until the honey, cinnamon and nutmeg are mixed in.
4. Fill up the rest of the mug with milk/milk substitute and stir again.
5. Consume to your heart’s content.

The blanket fortress

1. Make a blanket fort using sofas, blankets, quilts, pillows and so on.
2. Furnish blanket fort with soft toys and fairy lights.
3. Make a hot beverage and obtain some snacks e.g. popcorn, chocolate bars, almonds, crisps.
4. Find some comforting music, a book or a movie you love.
5. If desired, grab a person to cuddle along with your soft-toys (OPTIONAL).
6. Cuddle up in blanket fort with soft toys/person and watch movie or read while drinking your drink and eating your snacks.
7. Continue until you feel slightly less icky.

Movie time

1. Get some popcorn of choice (can be any flavour or type) and a cup of your favourite beverage.
2. If you want to have a meal too, then prepare it (e.g. you could make yourself a hotdog meal to be extravagant, or your favourite pasta bolognaise etc).
3. Pick your movie.
4. Turn off the lights and make a comfortable place to sit to watch the movie - if desired, put on some fairy lights for an atmospheric feel.
5. Watch the movie and snack contentedly!