Editor’s Note: This piece is a part of the series “Let’s talk.”

Now that two weeks of school have passed, I am sure we are all feeling the pressure of the semester. ClubFest is this week, giving us the opportunity to sign up for clubs and get involved on campus. Adding clubs to our schedule only gives us more to do in what feels like so little time. Clubs are a wonderful way to get involved and checking them out is worth it! Adding more to our already hectic schedules can be a lot. 

This weekend I sat down and looked at my schedule. I tried to block off time that I could commit to clubs, going to the gym, socializing with friends, volunteering, working and just having me time. This amount of time seems to dwindle every semester. I seem to keep piling more onto my plate, to make myself more well rounded. But my roommate and I had a long conversation this weekend about taking care of yourself and how important it is. 

Taking care of yourself is honestly essential. As college students, we want to be involved in so many things: clubs, work, school, our social life. It seems like there is a never-ending list of things we can do. Our society does not make this any easier, either; we seem to value working yourself to exhaustion and not getting any rest. So, I am here to tell you to break that rule. Take care of yourself. You need rest. 

I have compiled a list of ways I take care of myself, to share with you all. 

1. Spending time with my friends and/or roommates. Doing something OTHER than homework/schoolwork. 

My roommate, Hailey and I spend a lot of time together. We go to the store, go for drives, talk and do many other things together. Having time where we do other things aside from focusing on schoolwork is really important. It allows us to decompress and feel relaxed. I do this with my other friends too. 

2. Going to the gym 

I like to go to the gym as a stress reliever. Moving my body is important and going to the gym is a way to do that as well as get my mind off of class work. Sometimes I like to go with friends as a way to socialize, but other times I like to go on my own. Luckily for us, our school offers classes for us to attend, which is a great way to find out what kind of exercise you like to do. Working out in a way that you like to move your body is such a great idea. I personally think I enjoy it much more when I like what I am doing, instead of just going for a run to go for a run. 

3. Self care time. 

If you know me, you know I love a good spa night. Spending time investing in myself, by doing a face mask, taking a really long shower, waxing my eyebrows or any other activities that are relaxing are really important to me. I try to dedicate one night a week to doing this, giving myself time to just pamper me. I spend a lot of my week running from campus to my apartment to the gym to work and back to my apartment. Giving myself time to just sit and relax, taking care of me, is quite important. 

4. Treating myself. 

Going out and getting myself something after a rough week is special. I really love coffee, so dedicating $5 to go get myself something yummy from a local coffee shop is really a treat. Hailey and I will also go indulge in some ice cream after a really rough week, sitting in the car listening to music while relaxing. Giving yourself permission to give you something is really important. Again, I think our society values not taking care of ourselves as much as we should. So, take care of yourself — you deserve it. 

Take care of yourself. The semester is in full swing now. We are going to be hitting some rough weeks coming up. But I know you can all handle it! You just have to dedicate some time to take care of yourself.