Self care. It’s everywhere right now. From self-help books to Tumblr blogs to Pinterest boards to scientific studies, it makes you wonder how we’ve survived this long without the knowledge of how to take care of ourselves. But in a fast paced society driven by hard work and productivity, we often find ourselves in the passenger seat of our own lives, going through the day and doing everything on your to do list but never doing anything for ourselves. We have gotten to the point in society where what we are forgetting to do are not the things that we have to do, it’s the things we want or should be doing.

According to Wikipedia, “self care is any necessary human regulatory function which is under individual control, deliberate and self-initiated. Some place self care on a continuum with health care providers at the opposite end to self care. In modern medicine, preventive medicine aligns most closely with self care.” It is something that, especially in the college environment, is turning into a big movement.

So, what are some ways to self care? Well, there are many ways that you can do it, and there are even different categories: emotional, mental, and physical self care. Physical self care is pretty self explanatory: work out, eat right, go to the doctor, brush you teeth, take care of yourself. However, it can also stretch into things that you may not do often, like stretching, yoga, meditation, taking vitamins, get out in the sun. For mental, it can be as easy as getting one thing on your to do list done to relieve some stress. There are lots of little ways to take care of yourself that you may not have thought of.

“Do you ever forget to take care of yourself?” Ellen Bard, writer for the Little Buddhist blog, writes on self care. “I know. You’re busy, and finding the time to take proper care of yourself can be hard. But if you don’t, it won’t be long before you’re battered from exhaustion and operating in a mental fog where it’s hard to care about anything or anyone.”

Self care is a crucial part of life, but we’ve forgotten how to put ourselves first. In many ways, we don’t even know what to do that will make us feel more relaxed. To help you take care of yourself, here is a list of unique ways to pay attention to your mind and body, and to take care of yourself today.

Next week is Body Acceptance week, so I will be looking at some alternative ways of taking care of yourself and your body. I hope you all have a safe weekend, and I will see you all back here next week!!

Collegian Blogger Sarah Ross can be reached online at blogs@collegian.com or on Twitter at @HowSarahTweets. Read more of her content on AltLife.collegian.com or at collegian.com under Music. Leave a comment!