Sarah is a third-year student, who took some time out to travel for a year before starting uni. Throughout her time at uni, she’s realised the importance of taking time out for yourself, when everyday life can get a bit too much. Without further ado, here are Sarah’s thoughts on self-care…

Q: How much do you value me-time?

A: Above everything else, I think, because I’m a much better person when I have time to myself. It sounds awful but if I don’t take time for myself, and don’t take time to think about my stress levels, then I get very distracted and everything builds up, and explodes… I need to concentrate on myself, to be able to concentrate on other people and have more capacity to do that.

Q: Is it hard to find time for yourself at uni?

A: No, but I have to substitute it in for other things. So you might decide to not go on a night-out and stay in by yourself, and you just have to work around it. I would say that I don’t take part in societies and things, which some people consider self-care for them, but I wouldn’t for myself.

Q: How long have you valued self-care for?

A: Half-way through last year, I realised I needed it for myself. But I thought self-care meant the same thing as self-indulgence, and it’s not, care is about thinking- what do I need to do?- do I need to get my work done earlier, and do this or do that, because that can be caring for yourself. If you want to sleep a couple of extra hours, that’s not necessarily self-care, because it’s about doing things that help you get to a better place mentally.

Q: Did you need to do these things before you started uni?

A: No, I would say I didn’t because outside of uni, you do those things naturally. At school, you would have the weekend off, you would have time for yourself anyway, so I feel like at uni, you don’t necessarily put breaks in for yourself. Because no-one’s set you any breaks, you need to create breaks and time for yourself, especially when you’re thrust into a place where you have to balance friends, uni work, and everything that comes along with that. Self-care takes a backseat.

Q: What do you think constitutes self-care?

A: Looking after yourself first, and thinking about: what can I do today that will make me feel better now, and in the long run. You’ve got to think, will going on something like a walk, clear my head and make me feel more productive. Thinking about yourself in the third person and suggesting advice that you would give to a friend, to yourself. Sometimes I’m meaner to myself, and question whether I would say the same thing to a friend, and no I wouldn’t, so I shouldn’t be saying that to myself. If you’re kinder to yourself, then you end up being nicer to other people, because you’re in a better headspace.

Q: What do you specifically do for yourself?

A: I love a bath! It’s a good half-an-hour for myself, where I just sit in the bath, and can watch a programme or something and just chill. I also love going for walks. Self-care is also doing my work before it’s due, which I didn’t realise until very recently. That changes my life completely if I know in my head that I’m in a stable place in my work and that stops me from putting off other things in my life. Having clean sheets is also a really nice thing to do for yourself. Slowly integrating these things and habits into my life has been a huge learning curve for me.

Q: Has it taken a long time for you to realise these things?

A: I used to think self-care was selfish in a way, and didn’t think it would ever make me feel better in my- self. You can’t help others if you can’t help yourself, and self-care is a way of allowing time for yourself, which makes you be able to be a better person for others.

Q: What tips would you give to people struggling to find time for themselves?

A: I would say just think about one thing in your life that makes you feel happy and try and do that thing more often. Someone asked me what I enjoy doing, and I love a bit of a boogie, so they suggested just 5 minutes a day, plug those headphones in and dance around your room. 5 minutes is nothing, and if you manage to take 5 minutes for yourself, to breathe, dance, anything that makes you feel good, it will make you feel far better.