By the TFH Peer Health Educator Team

Even Angela Davis recognized the importance of self-care in her talk last Thursday evening at Garrison Theater. She noted that there were exceptions when she exhausted her body beyond belief, but she found time to exercise and meditate throughout her incredibly active career and cited that as an important factor in the ability to sustain a movement. She argued that it is imperative for us, students, to take care of ourselves as we participate and lead to enact change in our community.

As the semester starts up again, getting into a routine that includes self-care can be invaluable when midterms roll around. We know it is easier said than done, but try to find something that is restorative for you, and plan time to do it every week. If you have a planner, physically pencil in time for yourself. If it would help to have someone else remind you to take a time-out, try to plan a reoccurring date with a buddy.

The Peer Health Educators put our heads together to come up with some ideas for self-care based both on research and on our own experiences. Here is what we came up with:

• Walk into the village for the Sunday farmer’s market.
• Take a FitScripps class.
• Walk far away (Frary, Frank, the Coop) for a meal.
• Go rock climbing with OWL. (They offer trips to
• Hanger 18 every Wednesday and Thursday evening)
• Cook a meal in a res-hall kitchen.
• Oder a ukulele or a harmonica (small and cheap!) off of Amazon and teach yourself how to play it.
• Rent a bike from the Tiernan Field House and go exploring.
• Go for a walk at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
• Dance, dance, dance at Table Manners on Tuesday night in the basement of Smith Campus Center.
• Write snail mail or journal.
• Color in one of the Scripps coloring books from WOW!
• Take a nap.

It may seem like a distraction from schoolwork or a waste of time, but taking care of yourself will inevitably make your time working more productive. It doesn’t need to be hours every day, but an hour or two every week can really help. Before the semester gets too hectic, take some time to find something that restores you, and make it a habit.