Practicing self-care is the most important way to help students keep their stress levels low and avoid burnout. Here are 8 simple and realistic self-care tips and ideas that you and your family can implement.

Acts of self-care may not always appear obvious. From taking part in activities that you enjoy all the way to making sure that you are getting the sleep hours you need, all of which help towards keeping your mind healthy and sharp.

1. Incorporate activities into your routine that you enjoy.

Maintaining a healthy balance is one of the most important…but also one of the most difficult aspects when it comes to self-care. During periods of importance like exams, new units, or speech preparations, it’s easy to allow one aspect of your life (like school) to consume the majority of your energy. However, allowing time in your day and week to become involved in activities you care about can provide you with the distractions, lessons, and mental recharge that you need to succeed.

A popular way students incorporate this outlet into their life is through weekly karate or kickboxing classes. This also has the added benefit of exercise!

2. Get regular exercise.

Being physically active increases your energy, provides a great mental escape, and is known to decrease feelings of anxiety and depression. This can be implemented in any scale, even if it is just 20 minutes every day. This also helps one to fall asleep and maintain their routine sleeping schedule.

3. Get a proper amount of sleep.

Getting a healthy amount of sleep every night helps to keep your mind sharp and body energized. According to healthcare professionals, there is a suggested amount of sleep that is required depending on one’s age.

• Adults should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
• Teens aged 14 to 17 should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
• Children aged 5 to 13 should get 9 to 11 hours of sleep.

Try to identify and implement a sleeping timeframe that works best for you and your schedule and make it routine.

4. Practice meditation.

Regular meditation allows one to connect one-on-one with their feelings and thoughts. Without distraction, this can provide a safe space for one to work through mental stresses they may be facing like a heavy school workload or learning a new math unit. At Douvris Martial Arts, meditation is frequently practiced and heavily encouraged daily in the dojo. 

5. Unplug from technology.

Although scrolling through videos and playing games can be a big distraction…sometimes it’s important to have a distraction from that distraction. Instead of spending 30 minutes doom-scrolling, ‘lock up’ that phone and channel that time into something productive. Challenge yourself to do something else for that period of time like:

• Going for a bike ride around the neighborhood.
• Making a new dish or baking a new recipe.
• Catching up on a new episode of a TV show you are watching.
• Doing a quick tidy of your room or house.

6. Compartmentalize your time.

By this, we mean setting specific time aside for important things in your life. Not doing so can result in disorganized multi-tasking, overworking, and a lack of mental relief. Now, how can this be done? Try creating a short list of elements that are important to you, that make you happy, and that you have to do. Some examples of this are:

• Socialization
• After-school work
• Extracurriculars
•  Chores
• Media (TV shows, video games, and social media)

From then, mentally map out your days and weeks and ensure that you are setting time aside for everything on your list. Even if just a short amount, every little bit makes a difference in caring for yourself and your time.

Please note this article is based on our own thoughts and has not been formally approved by a healthcare or fitness professional.