Surviving and thriving in grad school: self-care in grad school
One of the buzzword topics in higher ed these days is self-care. Working with college students every day can be very emotionally and physically draining. Student affairs professionals preach the need for a good work-life balance, but 98% of them don’t practice that. Self-care goes beyond that work-life balance to really focus on taking care of you. Practicing real self-care in grad school can go a long way in your success. I totally neglected self-care in grad school, and I understand first hand the need for it.
Set boundaries for work and school
Don’t be afraid to leave work at work. The same mantra goes for school. In the digital age, it’s easy to answer email and texts at all hours of the day. Stop doing that. Put in the time you need to get things done, but recognize that you need time off. And make sure you take that time off. Spending all of your waking hours reading, editing, or writing will put you on the fast track to burn out.
Make time for your self
Between working five days a week at two jobs and taking class on Saturdays, I was always on the go. I didn’t find my time for me and my hobbies. My own interests were put on the back burner, and I wish I hadn’t done that. I really enjoy reading, but I never felt that I had time to read for fun. We had so many assignments that I spent all of my time reading articles and books. I also didn’t allow myself to wind down.
Unplug
I don’t know how every grad program is structured, but mine required lots of screen time. In addition to staring at a computer all day for work, I spent hours every week writing papers and working on other assignments. Give yourself a serious break from the screens. I would also advocate unplugging completely. Turn off the phone and the TV, and disconnect from everything for a bit.
Find your community
I can’t tell you how important finding my community was to me while in grad school. As an Army wife without kids who works, I’ve struggled to make friends quickly at each duty station. My closest friends wound up being in my cohort, and we commiserated and supported each other through five semesters. The cohort model (where all the students take their classes together) was the biggest blessing of my program, and I’m so grateful for the community and friendships we created.
Sleep
I wish I could say that I learned from my bad study habits in undergrad and didn’t have to pull really late nights to finish assignments, but I didn’t. I had more than a few mornings where I was dragging myself into class at 8 am. Sleep does your body good. Don’t neglect it. Your health is more important than grad school, and decent sleep goes a long way in that. Close the books and go to bed early, or take a nap after a long day of class.
