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The previous year of 2020, mixed with the news of our spring semester being pushed back by two weeks, has left many of us feeling hopeless. We have had to adjust to feeling sad and lonely during the holiday season, a time that’s expected to be filled with feelings of joy and happiness. During a winter break that has just been lengthened by two weeks, students need to support themselves with a mind that is as healthy as possible. 

Here are 10 ways we can do so:

1. Double up on your Vitamin D! We do not realize how much the sun’s absence can deteriorate our mental health. Moreover, take your multivitamins. Vitamin C, Vitamin D and iron can help you stay healthy inside and out.

2. Try to detox from using substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine. The use of drugs has increased dramatically due to people being confined indoors during the pandemic, but mental clarity is a crucial component to one’s health, both in body and mind. Try to replace these with something healthy. Your body will thank you in the long run.

3. While indoors, put effort into yourself! Do that workout you’ve been procrastinating. Take that long, hot shower you’ve never had the time for. Lather yourself up in that lavender-scented body wash and that rose-scented lotion. Work on that skincare routine. The influx in idle time has allowed us time to indulge in ourselves. Self-care can be the best form of care during this pandemic winter.

4. Additionally, do not forget to dress well, regardless of where you’re going ― whether it be your living room or the grocery store. Being comfortable is always worth the hassle and helps in making yourself feel cared for. Need a new fashion aesthetic? Pinterest exists for that. Purge your wardrobe, put on the different outfits, feel like a girl in a rom-com montage.

5. Move! Walk around the house! Do some form of movement, or do some cleaning. Clean the sink, vacuum the rug, mop the floors, sweep underneath your bed and find that thing you’ve been looking for. If going out on a walk feels unsafe in your neighborhood, you can still stay physically active inside. YouTube also provides a plethora of exercise videos for indoor workouts. Physical activity is beneficial in many ways that we may not fully understand, but it eventually pays off.

6. Try something entirely out of your comfort zone. For me, I picked up piano and doubled up on my readings. Again, the internet is a haven: there are platforms such as Duolingo that allow you to learn a language. Learn to cook through online videos and recipes. Purchase some canvases and teach yourself to paint with the help of step-by-step YouTube tutorials. Whatever the activity, choose something therapeutic and fun. Never underestimate the revitalizing power of picking up a new hobby.

7. A change of scenery is meaningful. Change your room around a little. Add something, remove something. Light a candle, even — fragrance can have a powerful effect on our brains. Move things around. Sometimes a change of environment can make a vast but subconscious difference. Print out some posters for your bedroom walls. Bring the outdoors in and add a houseplant. As college students, we are the first to understand that the littlest things in life can make us the happiest.

8. Most importantly, try to steer clear of future stress. To put it in the most cliche of terms, “stay in the moment.” When it comes to us college students, it’s very rare that we stop thinking of our future careers, summer internships or the upcoming semester. While stress is a natural response, it’s essential to let the stressors go. Do yourself a favor and write your top 10 stresses out, whether on a Google Doc or a Post-It note, then store it away somewhere. It allows the pressure not to overwhelm you.

9. Be easy on yourself. Take that break you think you need. Sleep in longer. Delay learning a new skill or reading that book. It’s okay. It’s okay to take the time to breathe while you have it. Life is all about balance.

10. Lastly, reflect on the previous year. What did you learn? What did you like? What did you dislike? Take some time to write your top 10 good and bad moments of 2020, even if they’re few and far between. It’s important. 2020 was a year of turbulence and history-making. Not reflecting on what we overcame in 2020 will only leave us hopeless for 2021.

Whether it’s picking up a hobby or doing nothing productive at all, hopefully at least one of these tips will help you feel your best before returning for the spring semester.

Sourov Rayhan is a sophomore English major. Their column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at srayhan@syr.edu.

Published on January 11, 2021 at 9:47 pm