We’ve officially spent half a year in quarantine. As the school year starts again and we’re swept up into a whirl of commitments, it can be hard to remember to care for yourself – especially if you’re most energized by social interaction. Without further ado, here are 3 tips for how to take care of yourself during quarantine!

1) Prioritize your mental health.

Quiet time in quarantine lends itself to introspection and making changes in your life. One of the most important tips we have to share is focusing on the positive people in your life. A healthy social circle has diversity and a mix of outlooks on life, but too much negativity may get you down or make you feel bad about yourself. Feel free to communicate and take a break from anyone who doesn’t make you feel good about yourself. Furthermore, when handling a large workload, keep a few minutes aside to look at your mental state and gauge when you need to break. Taking a break won’t detriment your productivity – it’ll only energize you and make you more able to handle your workload later. 

2) Make note-taking fun

Another tip for managing the workload is to make it fun! If you’re spending countless tedious hours taking notes from your textbook, incorporate diagrams or doodles relevant to the topic to make your notes more enjoyable. Doing this will also help you learn the content in a visual way when you’re studying from them later.

3) Practice self-care

Take the time to relax! Take a nap, pick up a new hobby, and practice skincare. Clean out your wardrobe and throw out anything you haven’t worn in the past six months (or year, begone corona) and analyze the clothes you have left to determine your style. A fun way to do this is to browse through Pinterest and pin outfits or clothing articles you would want to wear. Another thing to do is, start working out and make sure you don’t focus on results – do the exercises that make you happy! And stick to it. Doing overly extraneous workouts can discourage you from working out in the future, so start with simple exercises and move to harder ones later. Drink lots of water! Being dehydrated can leave you feeling tired throughout the day, making it hard for you to focus on your homework or day-to-day tasks. Staying hydrated can help you combat this lethargy and help you be more productive.

While everyone focuses on physical health, it’s important to also ensure your mental health is sound. Stay healthy!