Most of us just finished midterms, and if you didn’t pace yourself, the last few weeks probably left you exhausted! Even in the middle of a busy semester, do you set aside time to take care of your body and mind?

Establishing a healthy work-life balance is a struggle for many college students. We’re often either cramming for tests or procrastinating and having fun at social events, instead of focusing on a healthy in-between. Guess what? It’s actually possible to both get our work done and take care of ourselves.

1. What is self-care?
   Self-care is simple – it just means taking time to care for your body and mind because you understand that you are worthy of this attention. Self-care is also about more than just bubble baths and massages – in fact, it can include all kind of activities! These activities are often fun and relaxing, such as enjoying a favorite hobby or catching up with friends, but the not-so-fun stuff, such as exercising, fueling your body with the right food, and sleeping is equally as important!
2. Why is self-care important?
   Foster open communication with your child about school by allowing him or her to voice concerns and frustrations. Listen carefully, give receptive feedback, and then encourage your child to identify what he or she actually likes about school. Then focus on the subjects, sports, clubs, or friends that excite your child, and bring up these topics when your student complains about school! If your kiddo can’t identify anything that he or she likes about school, consider finding a new sport, club, or program that might incite some positivity!
3. Create spaces for learning at home!
   Are you thinking that you can probably just “push through” while running on fumes and deal with the stress later? According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, even people without diagnosed anxiety disorders can face serious consequences of not dealing with everyday stressors. Untreated stress can lead to low energy, insomnia, irritability, long-term health problems such as chronic stomach pain, and a whole slew of other issues!
   Still not convinced that self-care is important? If nothing else, motivate yourself with the fact that self-care is not just benefitting you. Taking care of your body and mind, allows you to be the best version of yourself for your family and friends!
4. When to set aside time for self-care
   Let’s bust the myth right now: taking a bubble bath once per month does NOT count as sufficient self-care! You should take time each day to rest, rejuvenate, and do something to help your body and mind. Sometimes, this might look like only setting aside thirty minutes, but even this small chunk of time is crucial to your overall wellbeing! It may seem as if you couldn’t possibly make room in your schedule, but taking care of yourself allows you to work more efficiently later!

We hope that you make the choice today to spend at least thirty minutes taking care of yourself!

Need help managing your time so that you have the opportunity for this kind of self-care? Our Apollo Tutors can help you deal with your toughest classes! Find your Apollo Tutor now in just five minutes by signing up at http://ubermatch.apollotutors.org!