2.9 How Will You Influence Your Health and Wellbeing?

While seemingly un-modifiable, heredity, social circumstances, and environment can and do influence our health; our individual behaviors are also an important part of what impacts our health and can help moderate the impact of these other external influences.

The term self-care might bring to mind images of moisturizing face masks or spas; however, these activities are only a small part of what we are referring to when we promote self-care. Any effort toward finding balance in your wellbeing is an act of self-care. This might refer to:

• Spending time refining your ability to communicate with the important people in your life;
• Supporting your mental health through conversations with a therapist or counselor;
• Volunteering time to organizations that have missions that align with your values;
• Applying for scholarships or grants to help fund academics and other pursuits;
• Cleaning and organizing your desk or closet; or
• Spending time in worship, fellowship, meditation, or prayer.

Maybe you are already doing things like these without considering how important they are for your wellbeing. Practicing self-care not only impacts your wellbeing in the moment, it can also impact your overall health over time, especially when practiced regularly. Acts of self-care can be as simple as taking a nap to recharge after studying or saying no to a night out and instead taking a walk and reflecting on the busy week. Acts of self-care can be brief—like taking a warm shower to relax—or longer, like planning a trip with friends to celebrate the end of the school year. Self-care doesn’t have to cost money.

Student Perspectives: Advice Around Self-Care During College

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