7 easy ways to keep your self-care resolutions in 2019

A new year is a new opportunity to resolve to prioritize wellness, and ASU Wellness is providing tips to start the spring semester on the right foot with self-care for all Sun Devils.

Self-care is any action or activity that benefits you by improving your mental or physical health. There’s no one self-care activity that works well for everyone, but depending on who you are it can take the form of unplugging from technology, dancing, coloring, volunteering, hiking, tidying your space and much more.

When life gets hectic, self-care routines tend to be sacrificed first, but Peer Educator Zoe Isaac, a junior political science major, said that wellness is important for students’ success and health.

“College involves constant personal, academic and professional growth. And it can be wonderful, not so wonderful at times and absolutely exhausting. That is why it is so important to give yourself time to recharge and reconnect with yourself,” said Isaac.

ASU Wellness recommends getting at least 20 minutes a day of self-care — anything that benefits your well being.

Here are seven easy ways Isaac recommends to take advantage of self-care this spring:

1. Find your inner Bob Ross

You don’t have to paint happy little trees, but prioritizing the things that get your creative juices flowing is a perfect way to fill your bucket. The final product doesn’t have to be museum or record-deal worthy; it’s just about letting yourself enjoy the process. “Take time to create,” Isaac said. “Paint a terrible painting, write a bad poem. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, just something fun and low-pressure.”

2. Just say no

There’s nothing more precious than your time. You don’t have to say yes to everything. “Practice saying no,” said Isaac. “It is OK to leave blank space in your schedule. This allows for the chance to be spontaneous!”

3. Practice self-care together

Check out the Coffee and Self-Care event on Feb. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Student Services Lawn at ASU’s Tempe campus. You can learn about different ways to de-stress with coloring, free coffee and snacks and good company. “Sometimes self-care is easier to do when it’s already set up for you and with other people,” said Isaac.

4. Pencil yourself in

If you keep a calendar, schedule your self-care time so you know when it’s happening. “Make it a plan,” said Isaac.

5. Don’t wake up to stress

How many of us reach immediately for our phones when we wake up? Resist that urge. “Try not to check your phone first thing in the morning,” said Isaac. “Immediately waking up to emails, texts and missed calls can be more stressful than we realize.”

6. Give thanks

When we seem to be scrambling, it’s easy to take for granted what is going well until something goes wrong. “Try a gratitude journal,” said Isaac. “This is a good, concrete way to check in with yourself each day and takes no more than five minutes.”

7. Bust out your mat or your sneakers

Getting active is an easy way to blow off steam and center yourself. Take a walk around campus, hike up “A” Mountain, or find an activity at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex on your campus. Isaac recommends hitting the mat with a yoga class at the SDFC. “I love the restorative classes because they focus on relaxation and stretching,” she said.