8 Of My Favorite Self-Care Practices
It is important to remember to take time for yourself and do things that make you feel good, especially when life is getting you down.
At the start of every semester I always get incredibly overwhelmed trying to adjust to my classes, but when I remember to take time for myself my stress lessens. As students, a lot of times we forget that taking care of ourselves is just as important as getting good grades and making time for our friends. Practicing self-care is one way we can make sure we keep a balanced lifestyle.
1. Fake Tanning
I feel so much better and much more myself when I am tan. When the fall semester starts and it starts to get colder, it is hard to keep your summer glow. In order to stay my preferred color year round, I try to fake tan. I swear by Fake Bake Flawless Darker for a natural golden brown tan. This video talks about a plethora of other fake tans, some which are more of a red and some that are more of a yellow, so if you want to find a color that is best for you, I recommend watching this video.
Not only does fake tanning make me feel good, but I also find the process of fake tanning very relaxing. It all starts by exfoliating in the shower. Having soft smooth skin is so nice and it leaves you with a great base to tan.
Whenever I am feeling bad about myself or I am stressed out over school, self-tanning always has a way of making me feel like a new happier, healthier, and prettier person.
2. Crafting
When I was in high school, I used to draw all the time to de-stress. While I still love to draw, I have found that creating other crafts brings me the same kind of relaxation. This is a plaque I made for my Big last semester. Making it was so much fun and took my mind off of all the stress I had pilling up from assignments and other commitments. Sometimes it is good to put your energy into crafting because it is an excellent emotional outlet.
3. Working Out
Whenever I have any negative energy I really love working out because afterwards everything bad you were feeling before is replaced by endorphins. It is almost like pressing a reset button on your mood. Please enjoy this photo of my dog licking the sweat off my face mid workout.
4. Eating a Pint of Ben & Jerry's
This is 100 percent my roommate and I's favorite thing to do whenever anything bad happens in our lives. Whether we bomb a test, get into a fight with our friends, or are just feeling sad, we always break out a pint of ice cream and eat away our feelings. My go-to flavor is the Tonight Dough.
5. Online Shopping (but not buying anything)
Nothing relaxes me more than putting hundreds of dollars worth of clothing into a shopping cart and then closing the tab.
6. Putting on Makeup
Look good, feel good am I right? While not everyone likes wearing makeup, I find the process of putting on makeup very relaxing. 9/10 I will put makeup on to go out and just stay in instead, but my makeup will look so good I will feel on top of the world. There is nothing that a good foundation and fake eyelashes can't cure.
7. Listening to Music in the Shower
I will literally spend an hour in the shower jamming out to my shower playlist. Showers are relaxing, music is relaxing, and combining the two just makes everything all better.
8. Binge Watching TV
Sometimes it is nice to escape into a different world for a little while.