Taking Care of Yourself as an Education Student

Sarah Wilde

McKay Student Ambassador

Special Education (Severe/Profound Disabilities Emphasis)

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Being in school full-time is busy, especially as an education major! This semester, I have practicum twice a week, and on days when I don't, I'm in class for 7 hours a day! On top of that, I have a job, a church calling, and social events. Self-care hasn't been a priority, and now that midterms are here, I'm wishing I had kept taking care of myself physically earlier in the semester. Here I have some goals that I have made in past semesters that I am trying to implement again. I know these goals won't work for everyone, but I hope they are good examples for you to create your own personalized goals for this semester.

Eat Well

I really don't have time to cook during the week, but I still want to eat good food. Sometimes I get so busy I forget to eat! To fix this, I meal prep on the weekends. While this may sound like it takes a lot of time and effort, it doesn't have to! Some weeks, I just cook a whole box of pasta, split it into 5 Tupperware, and put them all in my fridge. There's my lunches for the school week! I try to make meals that will have leftovers. A bonus about having your meals planned out is that you can better plan your grocery list. When your grocery list is planned out, you are less likely to buy food you don't need or buy the wrong amount. This helps your budget! By meal planning and prepping, I am eating better and saving money.

Prioritize Sleep

This one is hard for me. I am definitely that student who falls asleep in class! I recently read some ideas on how to sleep better, and I was surprised by some of the ideas. I think we all know that exposure to blue light before bed impacts our sleep quality, but this article recommended not working at all for an hour before bed! This is super difficult with the amount of homework college students have, but I think it may have been right. I find that sometimes I turn out the light and then can't sleep because I'm still thinking about all the things on my to-do list. Maybe scheduling out my day better would help. If I scheduled time to do homework, and time to not do homework, I could probably get my mind and body in a more regulated sleep pattern. Sleeping better will help me do my homework better anyway!

Get Involved in Fun Activities

While time is the last thing on our hands, taking time to do non-academic activities is good for your mind and can help you make friends. Did you know there are 150 club here on campus? You're bound to find a group that shares your interest, or two or three! Join a club at https://clubs.byu.edu/p/home. There are also Y-serve groups that do a lot of niche projects that serve various populations. Passionate about something? Chances are, BYU Y-serve is too! Find them at https://yserve.byu.edu/.

Stay Active

We spend a lot of time sitting at desks and doing homework on our laptops. It is important to keep our bodies moving and our blood flowing. Spend some time outside! I have time built into my schedule because I walk to campus from my apartment. However, outside of this, I rarely ever go outside. Whenever I do go somewhere, I remember how good it feels to walk without my backpack on! Even when my body is tired, I find that stretching always feels nice. There are even free yoga classes on campus! Find more information on the class at https://wsr.byu.edu/yoga. There are also half credit classes you can take from the Student Wellness (SWELL) department that don't affect your GPA. There are lots of little ways to get active because BYU knows how important activity is for you to succeed in your education!

Taking care of yourself may not seem as important during the semester, but trust me, you'll regret it later if you don't! Taking care of your basic needs will help you perform better in school and feel better overall. And as always, talk to someone if you need help! BYU CAPS is free for students. Find out what they offer here: https://caps.byu.edu/. Remember, you come first!

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