New-school-year self care

[Sofi]

As summer ends (or winter, depending on where you are!) and a new school year (or semester) starts, it's normal to feel some stress. Okay, maybe even a lot of stress. Some of the challenges are social, some are school/workload related, or simply the change in routine can throw us off.

How are you planning on taking care of yourself during this time?

I know for me, when I start something new like a new school year or a new job, I make sure I schedule in some "me-time" at nights, after dinner/before bed, for a relaxing activity like coloring or playing a game. I also have to meal prep so the routine change doesn't affect me still eating enough meals a day, and coming up with a themed weekly dinner menu is a fun thing I do to help with this.

Here are some other ideas: Self-Care: A La Carte!

Feel free to share what you already do and/or plan on starting to do as self care!

[Jacob]

I don't know if I do anything special, but I feel like any kind of clean slate beit a new job, a new school, a new hobby brings it's own joys to me.

So many simple pleasures to be had:

• Concluding which pocket of my bagpack the pencil case goes in - yes!
• Carefully customising a new notebook - lovely!
• Printing off my upcoming timetables and putting them in a paper folder - sooo satisfying!
• Perhaps the least relateable but satisfying of all: organising all my digital files into well-named folders - ooooooooh yeah!*
  * I'm especially fond of having a folder called "Archive" in every directory that needs it where I drag and drop everything I don't want to sort through, but also don't want to delete... I give a fresh chef's kiss of approval everytime a busy folder becomes a clean spread of subdirectories - mwah!

[Andy]

I'm now very motivated to organise my folders, thank you!

As for me, I'm just starting university and it means a lot of organising and changes so sometimes it's practically impossible to plan ahead some me-time. So in addition to doing that I also consciously try to do things that must be done in a way that makes me feel good. For me this can include getting clothes in second hand shops, buying groceries in package-free shops, taking studying or writing emails outside or to a library I like, getting off the bus one station sooner and walking the rest of the way, cycling instead of driving...

[Amanda B]

I love this question! I am a few months into a new job and it definitely still feels like an adjustment. One of my favorite things to do is to remember to give myself grace. If I make a mistake or find myself particularly stressed, I try to treat myself like I'd treat a good friend. I remind myself it's okay to not be perfect, especially in such a new environment. I also remind myself that so much growth happens during challenging times or after making a mistake. Let yourself be imperfect!