The Importance of You

When you're in college, you tend to forget the importance of taking care of yourself. I know that for me, it is so easy to let the stresses of life take over and snowball until I shut down. If I have learned anything since moving to college, it is that living a life ruled by stress is not living at all. We live in a world where doing everything and being the best at everything is prized over our mental state and quite frankly, it disgust me. I am one of the worst when it comes to not addressing my stressors. This semester, I have been actively trying to take care of myself physically and mentally because I want to live life to the fullest. I know that sounds cliche but it is so true because we only get one life. So why would we consciously choose to live it in constant stress?

Above, I have attached some of my favorite ways to destress. I try to mix things up and depending on the day that I've had, different strategies work better. I'm going to delve into just a few of these tips that I tend to lean towards more often. One de-stressor that I have relied on heavily is reading/praying. Since moving back to college this year, I have began setting aside time each day to read my bible and pray over the things that are causing my stress. I'm not a big reader and I never have been but I have found that taking the time to read my bible in the mornings before I do anything else has really helped set my day off on the right foot. Praying over all of the stressors that I know will be coming at me that day puts me at ease because I leave my house knowing that it is all in God's hands. I also enjoy reading historical fictions and poetry and so after a long day, I like to sit outside in my hammock on my balcony or in my bed and take in an easy read every once in a while. It is a good break from reading monotonous textbooks and helps me get out of my head and into another world. I don't tend to read for hours at a time but even just 15 minutes of reading before I go to bed can really help me destress after a busy day.

One of my new poetry books that I have fallen in love with!

Another de-stressing strategy that I have picked up this semester is listening to podcasts. I am usually listening to music most of the day so it is a nice change of pace to listen to something that feeds my soul. One of my favorite podcasts is Sadie Robertson Huff's "Whoa That's Good Podcast." A lot of her podcasts are super relatable and I genuinely enjoy listening to them. One of the things that I love about podcasts is that I can pretty much listen to them anywhere. Whether I am driving, just sitting in my room, or walking on campus, it can go where I go. One of my favorite paired de-stressors is listening to a podcast while taking a walk. Especially now that the sun is not out as much, I try to remind myself how important it is for my mental health to spend time outside in the sun. So taking walks definitely helps me get that time under the sun. This is where it comes in handy to have such a beautiful campus because it makes those daily walks that much more enjoyable.

As we are beginning finals weeks for those in the college world, I just want to remind everyone the importance of taking time for yourself. And while it is important to do well in our studies, our mental health matters too. Like I included on my list, go do something fun! If you've been studying all day, go get an ice cream or a soda with your roommates to take a little brain break or just simply have a 15 minute dance party in your living room to shake out those nerves. There are plenty of ways to take care of ourselves and all you gotta do is find what works best for you. So to all of us who are getting ready to tackle those finals, you've got this, I believe in you, and don't forget the importance of you!