International Self Care Day: How To Be The Best Version Of You
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Self-care is something so important to us, it’s all about creating a healthy lifestyle, doing things to look after our mental and physical health as well as trying to live our best life.
If you’re not already feeling like the best version of you, international self-care day is on July 24th each year, and what a time to put the spotlight on your own mental and physical well being.
Stick with us and you can discover everything that this annual day is all about and how you can be the best version of YOU!
What Is International Self-Care Day?
International self-care day has been running since 2011, with the aim of promoting self-care as a vital part of taking care of your mental and physical health.
It’s an annual day for people across the globe to put self-care at the forefront and ensure it’s a part of their lifestyle.
The International Self-Care Day is celebrated every year on July 24th to symbolise that the benefits of self-care are experienced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Benefits Of Self-Care
By making self-care a priority in your life and embracing little acts of kindness towards yourself, you’ll notice tons of benefits for your mind, body and soul.
Below, we’ve listed just a few of the positives that you may experience with positive and consistent self-care actions!
1. Boosts Physical Well-Being
Self-care actions promote good physical health, which is essential to cope with the demands of university life.
By exercising regularly, ensuring proper nutrition, and sleeping properly to improve energy levels, these will all strengthen the immune system and enhance your overall physical well-being.
2. Improves Mental Health
As you’ll know, university life can be demanding and stressful, with academic pressures, deadlines, financial issues, and other challenges.
Engaging in self-care activities such as meditation, deep breathing exercises and journaling can help to reduce stress and anxiety, which in turn promotes better mental health.
3. Increased productivity & Focus
Another great benefit of practising self-care is that it increases your productivity and focus.
When you’re well-rested, relaxed, and in a positive state of mind, you’ll be able to focus better and get tasks done more efficiently.
So, by taking breaks, engaging in activities you enjoy, and practising mindfulness, you will be better equipped to handle academic challenges.
It’s a win-win situation!
4. Better Self-esteem & Confidence
Taking time for yourself and engaging in activities which bring you happiness and fulfilment will help ensure a positive self–image and boost your overall confidence.
Like the saying goes, when you look your best, you feel your best!
Tips To Become The Best Version Of You
Self-care can look different to different people, but we’ve highlighted some tips below on how you can maintain your health, wellness and wellbeing.
Who wouldn’t want to become the best version of themselves? You’ve got this!
1. Prioritise Your Physical Well-being
We know, it can feel hard sometimes to prioritise your physical well-being when university life is so hectic, but it’s crucial for maintaining a healthy mind and boosting your overall well-being.
Incorporating regular exercise into your life whether it’s doing yoga, hitting the gym, dancing, running, walking or even joining a sports club at university, will help to boost your physical health, enhance your mood and reduce stress.
Even just exercising for 30-minutes a day can do wonders for your physical-well being and trigger the release of dopamine, which can improve your mental health!
2. Ensure You Get Sufficient Sleep
It’s important to try and aim for around 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night as this way you will be well-rested and more focused, alert and better at handling the demands of student life.
To help you sleep better, you should try to establish a regular sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same or similar time everyday.
Creating a bedtime routine you carry out every night such as having a shower, getting in your pyjamas and brushing your teeth will also help you sleep better.
Don’t underestimate how vital a restful sleep environment is either, like the saying goes, a tidy space = a tidy mind!
3. Practise Healthy Eating Habits
Practising healthy eating habits and ensuring a well balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables will positively impact your overall well-being.
It may be tempting to order a Deliveroo food order a few times a week, but not only will this hurt your bank account, but eating excessive processed foods and sugary drinks isn’t a nourishing diet.
You need to eat enough energy, protein, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and at your best, so swap out the takeaways for cooking sessions with your friends.
Get together in your student accommodation, and if you’re lucky enough to have a private dining room, whip up some tasty recipes – fun and healthy!
4. Limit Screen Time
While technology has its benefits, excessive screen time can negatively impact mental health, so it’s all about ensuring you use your devices in moderation.
It’s all too easy to spend hours scrolling on TikTok or looking at Instagram posts, but this can negatively impact your wellbeing.
Especially if you’re experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out) or comparing yourself to others on social media a lot of the time.
You should balance your screen usage with other activities and take breaks.
If you need to, set a screen time limit if you struggle to have time away from your devices.
5. Stay Connected
Staying connected with friends and family is vital for good mental and emotional well-being, so make sure to prioritise spending time with the people in your life.
It may be difficult to see your friends and family at home whilst at university, but you can still stay connected with them by doing video calls, phone calls or speaking to them via message.
Participating in social activities with others not only helps to provide support but also a sense of belonging, and is a key part of self-care.
6. Set Boundaries With Others
A lot of the time people will say yes to opportunities or to people that aren’t good for them, and ask for too much of their time or energy.
An important self-care action is learning to set healthy boundaries and communicating your personal limits by saying “no” to people when necessary.
Being a people pleaser and saying “yes” to everyone and everything can lead to burnout, and it isn’t healthy.
You need to foster habits that prioritise your own needs, not the needs of other people, so make sure to protect your own boundaries and say no to stressors!
7. Discover New Hobbies & Passions
With a busy schedule at university, it can be hard to find the time to engage in activities you love, but it’s so important.
Whether it’s reading, drawing, writing, playing an instrument, capturing photographs, playing sports or so on, make sure to pursue hobbies and passions that bring you joy and fulfilment.
Even just spending 30 minutes a day doing activities which make you feel happy or relaxed is a great way of practising self-care to be the best and healthiest version of yourself!
8. Seek Support When Needed
It’s important as a young person to reach out for support when you need it, this is an absolute fundamental of self-care.
If your mental health is taking a hit, whether it’s speaking to a friend or family member, speaking to your doctor, seeking counselling, assessing helplines or support groups, make sure to make the most of available support.
If you’re struggling academically, don’t be afraid to reach out to your university teams and lecturers to let them know.
Chances are, they’d much rather you let them know you’re finding something difficult than struggle in silence!
No matter if you’re looking for support for yourself or a friend’s mental health, Student Minds is a valuable resource.
As we stated earlier, self-care can vary from person to person so it’s important to listen to your own needs, be kind to yourself, and find things that work for you!
We hope you have an amazing International Self-care Day this year, and don’t forget to celebrate on July 24th.
What self-care activities work for you? How will you be getting involved with this annual day? Let us know @prestigestudentliving.
