With the workload increasing before the holidays, students may feel stressed, which is where the Take Care of Yourself event comes into play.
“The event is a month-long event that focuses on taking time out of your days to do acts of self-care. Whether that be something as small as affirmations when you wake up to taking a walk and moving your body,” said Julia Garcia, an East Campus RA and fourth-year student at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
When you practice ways to improve your mental health, it significantly changes your outlook on things and overall makes you feel better, research shows.
“The inspiration was it is that time of the month; I feel for all of us that we are getting tired and just overloaded with a lot, especially after midterms and finals coming up,” Garcia said. “I wanted to create an event that would motivate people to really slow down and practice self-care however they feel that looks like. I guess it started with me even realizing I need to practice self-care more.”
Not only will participants have the satisfaction of bettering themselves, but the added bonus is they may get to win a prize.
“Whoever sends a picture of themselves practicing self-care will then be entered into a raffle where they can win an Autumn mug, and there are two winners,” said Garcia.
Many struggle when it comes to taking time for themselves, whether it’s an hour of watching their favorite show, going on a hike, or finding some other way to wind-down and destress, Garcia says. It can be difficult to just relax without the stressors of the outside world.
“I want people to take a breather from school, work and sports and find time out of their day to practice self-care and focus on themselves,” said Garcia.
With school putting on added pressure, it can be hard to find ways to make yourself feel better. This is when finding new hobbies and taking a break is needed.
“I hope students continue practicing their form of self-care, even way after this event. I know we all need to recharge at some point in the day so we don’t burn out,” Garcia said. “Take care of yourselves first mentally, physically, and spiritually!”