Life During Exams: Self-Care 101

Self-care vs hustle culture

 In my information bubble, the concept of self-care has been growing increasingly popular and it pains me to see how companies in various fields play with it in their marketing campaigns. Even though, say, face masks or high-quality chocolate can be a way of “self-caring,” the term actually has a much deeper meaning and the power to change lives. 

“In health care, self-care is any human regulatory function which is under individual control, deliberate and self-initiated, for the purpose of the maintenance of health and wellbeing,” says Wikipedia. So, essentially taking care of yourself is all about prolonging your life and making sure that all of its aspects are attended to, be it your emotional stability, your physical fitness, or your relationships with friends. Though it might seem quite overwhelming at first, the realization that you are the main person responsible for the way every area of your life is going to develop is a pivotal moment. 

These days, however, it is extremely easy, scarily so, to fall into the trap of hustle culture. Essentially, we are led to believe that work or studies are our main concern. Something like “you should work hard today so that your future self can thank you for it.” Now is never the time to unwind or relax and the deferred happiness syndrome keeps flourishing. But the days with no to-do lists might never come – and then who will get that happiness for us? 

Self-care the stress out of your life

So, where does self-care enter the equation? First and foremost, it helps sort out your priorities. If your goal is to not only perform at the top of your abilities, but also to maintain your sleep routine, then you won’t pull that all-nighter. You would rather start working on your assignment in advance, thus also ensuring its quality. In fact, you might even plan every task in your day to accommodate those good old eight hours of sleep. Or maybe you won’t skip that lunch to stay in the lab an extra hour, because one of your aims is a healthy gut. Effectively, the self-care mindset helps you keep in mind the ultimate “long run,” looking years ahead and choosing the options that would nourish you the most now and in the future. Instead of only focusing on getting that grade or landing that job, you are thus also making sure that both your body and your mind are cared for.

After you have accepted the revelation of self-care, the ultimate time-managing tool, you can proceed to the fun part – discovering what works for you. Because the basics are rather intuitive: get enough sleep, eat your five a day (and don’t forget your protein of choice), and do your homework outside of your sleeping hours. Physical health is much more graspable than your mental well-being, though both are equally important. In this sense, finding your mental health routine is akin to choosing your favourite workout – so, mostly trial-and-error. Nowadays, there are quite a lot of options, from gratitude journals to daily meditations. Give them a go and notice how you feel: maybe you like it noisy, maybe you need to be in silence, or maybe dancing is your best mood-booster? If you are stuck on ideas, try this handy list.

In my humble opinion, the key to self-care is being in tune with your body, thoughts, and emotions and knowing when it is okay to push a little harder and when it is time to spend a few hours doing nothing (or maybe even finally succumbing to that bath bomb). Eventually, it would mean that you allow yourself to be happy or at least fully present every day of your life, regardless of any tasks yet to do. You will be able to realize what is best for you in terms of your emotional, physical, and mental health and choose this option above all others.  

If you want to learn more about mental health, check out this series of articles for ITMO’s Mental Health Month. And if you want to ace your new self-care-driven schedule, check out this guide to top time management apps and this intro to personal finance.