Classes are finished, finals are over! Now that it’s officially winter break it’s important to take the time to regroup and practice self-care. By taking the time to invest in yourself during this break you’ll be better prepared for the challenges that may arise in the coming semesters. Self-care doesn’t need to be time consuming or expensive; if you weren’t able to stop by the self-care kit table during finals, here are some simple things Kinsey and her grad assistant Erin Stockwell (MA ’22, PsyD 2) recommend.
- Try affirmations
- Walk in nature
- Make a vision board
- Breathe deeply
- Cook your favorite meal
- Write a journal
- Watch the sunrise
- Go for a long walk
- Light your favorite candle
- Write 5 things you love
- Exercise or yoga
- Sleep
Winter break is also a great time to start building habits that you want to continue into next semester and beyond. These don’t have to be life-altering, just simple things that make a difference.
- Get 8 hours of sleep! Even better, challenge yourself to stay on, or create, a weekday sleep schedule that you can carry on once classes resume.
- Drink more water. During the cold months we see less reminders to stay hydrated, but it’s just as important.
- Use some of the extra time you may have without classes to learn how to make simple, healthy meals. By learning these recipes now, it will be easier to make them later.
Finally, you can care for your future self by taking time to prepare for next semester.
- Set aside a day to sort through your notes and organize anything you might want to reference in the future. You can do this for both physical and digital copies of notes!
- Clean out and restock your backpack or any other bag you may carry with you to class.
- During your restock, make sure you check out the textbook list for next semester and order your materials.
- Take a moment to reflect on this semester.
- What went well?
- Where did you struggle?
- What could you have done differently?
Check out our previous blog for more ideas on how to Self-Care over Winter Break.
