This September is Self-Care Awareness Month at FSU Libraries! We’re partnering with the Center for Health Advocacy & Wellness (CHAW) to discuss self-care and offer some tips for how you can get started.
What is self-care and why does it matter?
Self-care means prioritizing the things that support your overall wellness. Caring for yourself is essential to thrive and survive both in calm moments and challenging ones.
Here at FSU, we focus on creating a culture of care by celebrating the contributions of individuals and groups in our campus community. We are all responsible for creating this culture of care. To do that we must take care of ourselves and others. And we cannot take care of others without first taking care of ourselves.
How to practice self-care
Step one: learn about the nine dimensions of holistic wellness. The nine dimensions are:
- Social
- Environmental
- Intellectual
- Emotional
- Creative
- Physical
- Spiritual
- Financial
- Occupational
To learn more about FSU’s holistic wellness campaign and each of these dimensions of wellness, visit DSA’s website.
Step two: Do a bit of self-evaluation to see where you might have unmet needs related to these areas. For example, in the area of physical wellness, are you meeting your needs? You might ask yourself a few questions to check in on this such as: am I taking breaks when I can to eat? Am I staying hydrated? Am I getting enough rest, both at night and overall?
Next: come up with a plan to meet your needs. For example: pack snacks to munch on between classes. Carry a water bottle. Set boundaries to allow for adequate rest. Put your phone on do not disturb after a certain hour. Practice saying no (a complete sentence BTW) to commitments that would require more energy and time than you can invest.
Finally, learn which resources are available to you to support your self-care. These resources can include your personal strengths and social networks and campus resources.
CHAW can help you practice self-care
One campus resource that can help you on your self-care journey is the Center for Health Advocacy & Wellness (CHAW). CHAW encourages students to make healthy lifestyle decisions that facilitate academic success and lead to life-long health and wellness. CHAW provides a wide range of presentations and outreach events on health topics related to:
- general wellness
- alcohol tobacco and other drugs
- collegiate recovery
- nutrition, body image and eating disorder prevention
- interpersonal violence prevention
- sexual health
How you can practice self-care with CHAW
- Visit CHAW’s website to learn more about their services.
- Follow CHAW (@fsuchaw) to stay up to date on current events and for plenty of quick tips to optimize your overall wellness. Look for #LiveWellFSU for content that is related to holistic wellness.
- To support your physical wellness, call (850) 644 – 4567 to schedule an appointment for nutrition counseling or HIV testing. Visit CHAW’s office on the 4th floor of UHS to get free condoms, lube, and/or menstrual products.
- For overall and academic wellness, call (850) 644 – 4567 to schedule a wellness coaching appointment.
- For social wellness, get involved as a student through CHAW’s Healthy Noles peer education program or the kNOw More Student Advisory Board.
- For occupational wellness, work for CHAW through internships and federal work study positions.
- For intellectual wellness, request a presentation related to any of the above topic areas for your classroom or RSO.
Happy Self-Care Awareness Month! Remember that you can’t pour from an empty cup. This month, practice filling that cup up by prioritizing your overall wellness and let CHAW help you get there. Also, be sure to stop by Strozier Library this month to visit the self-care shelf and discover your next read!
This post was written by Samantha Thoms, Registered Dietitian for CHAW.
