If you have a garden filled with flowers, wouldn't you tend to? Destroy the weeds, so they don't kill your flowers. Water it, so the flowers will grow. Why is it any different if the garden is you if the weeds are toxicity poisoning you, or water is self-care? Each of us has a garden deep within us. Some are filled with vibrant and colorful flowers such as sweet peas, lilies, lilacs, sunflowers, dahlias, or tulips. Others may be covered in weeds that are sophisticating their flowers. One could be a garden filled with wilting roses and many other flowers that are slowly weathering away. However, each of us can have the first garden I mentioned if we remember to nourish it, so it can flourish.

As college students (especially freshman) being in a unfamiliar place can be scary. You are in a new town with millions a faces you do not know. You are on your own and away from your families for what could be the first time in your lives. Most of us don't have our mother's warming smiles, father's countless hugs, siblings teasing us out of love, or our inseparable friends from high school. Instead, you may only have me, myself, and I which is why self-care is vital. However, very few of us actually know how self-care for oneself, so here are my top five ways to care for yourself.

Be Social

The best way to make being in a new place easier is to find a friend. You can do that by getting connected in your school and joining clubs, or you can start a conversation with someone in your class. There are thousand of people on campus with just as much need for a friend as you have. You just have to find them.

Breathe

School can be overwhelming, and you need a break. When you feel like your drowning just take a moment to stop trying swim and float. That means stop what you are doing and breathe. All of your worries will be there when you come back, but you aren't going to be able to do anything if you are panicking.

Tell Yourself You're Beautiful/Handsome

Don't forget that you are imperfectly perfect. No matter what anyone says or even your mind tells you, you are beautiful/handsome. You are loved by someone. It may not be who you want it to be, but trust me your mother didn't spend nine months eagerly waiting to love you just for you to hate yourself.

Treat Yourself

The best self-care is to treat yourself. Take a nap throughout the day. Take a hot bath with a bath bomb or take a long hot shower.. Eat the sugar-filled sweet. Hammock at the Refuge. Watch the clouds. These are just some of my favorite way to take care of myself, but to really treat yourself you need to personalize yours.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Sometimes, self-care means asking for help. Maybe your anxiousness is an anxiety disorder, maybe your sadness is depression, maybe your need for control is over compulsive disorder, maybe you need help. There is a free consoling center on campus take advantage of it. They want to help you all you have to do is ask.

Remember gardening is a lot of work. If you tend to it, you can have a beautiful landscape filled with colors, so good luck garden, Y'all.